Crash Bandicoot Rabid Evolution
by Bandi-cute
Summary: Dr. Neo Cortex emerges with a sinister plot to attack the world with an army of evolved animal soldiers. His plot: to enslave the world. After being subjected to the altering effects of the Evolvo-Ray, a most unlikely hero is born.
1. Prologue

**Crash Bandicoot 1:**

_Rabid Evolution_

**Prologue– Deviant Transformation**

The room was dark, sporadically brightened by a few flickering lights. Shadows danced across the floor, casting an eerie presence over the strange instruments scattered across slabs of metal. Dark splotches of blood only added to the disturbing atmosphere. A large mechanical monstrosity was positioned in the center of the cluttered chamber, and two white-clad scientists were positioned beside it, one working diligently at the controls, and another gazing at it with lack of interest. The latter glanced sidelong at the long row of cages that lined against the wall. His demonic face bent into a frightening smirk.

"Living creatures are fascinating." His gravely voice spoke with a hint of admiration. The doctor tilted his head lazily to the side. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The scientist next to him fumbled about as he made the adjustments to his invention. He didn't speak, but answered by nodding vigorously. The doctor laughed.

"So many possibilities, I can't even be sure where to begin." The doctor didn't mind carrying out a conversation on his own, in fact, it seemed as though he preferred it.

The scientist still bent over his work could only grunt in reply, too self-conscious to speak yet yearning to be regarded by his superior. Due to that sincere desire to be acknowledged, he kept his opinions about the questionable experiment to himself. The doctor's interest in speaking with his subordinate diminished, and he wandered over to the rows of cages. Inside, dozens of terrified animals shook in fear at his approach. A deranged smile rose to the doctor's face. As he strode down the line, peering into each cage, the animals cowered as his shadow passed.

"Fear. They're all rank with fear." The doctor sneered.

Still hard at work, the scientist paused for a moment, and then hesitantly continued. As the doctor inspected the animals, his calculating glare intensified in disapproval. He was expecting more, yet he was still unsure what he truly wanted. His plan was all but set, and the last piece of that plan was imprisoned in one of these cages. Yet by the look of the frail animals, the doctor's hopeful search was in vain. Suddenly, the doctor stopped abruptly in his tracks.

"What have we here…?" The doctor crooned as he leaned toward a particular cage.

As he peered through the bars, he was almost staggered to see the composed fire flickering in the captive animal's eyes. Even as the doctor kept his stare fixed on the animal, the creature didn't back down, not vicious, but obviously not afraid. The doctor backed away for a moment as he considered. A bandicoot? Strange, bandicoots were generally meek creatures. The doctor opened the cage with a loud clang, and in response the bandicoot's ginger fur spiked and its eyes narrowed in wariness. It was not demonstrating any trace of fear, if anything its dumb animal mind was unresponsive to intimidation. As the doctor reached inside, his hand snapped back with a yelp. The scientist appeared at his side in an instant.

"What happened?" The scientist stuttered, yet there was no need for explanation. The blood that leaked from the doctor's pierced skin spoke for itself.

With a sadistic grin, the doctor tried again, this time snatching up the small animal in one hand. As he held the daring bandicoot, a gleam appeared within Cortex's beady red eyes.

"This is the one Brio." The doctor exclaimed excitedly. "The one I've been waiting for."

The scientist, Brio, scratched an ear doubtfully.

"H-h-how can you be sure Doctor? How can a bandicoot…?" Brio trailed off softly as the doctor shot him a malicious look.

"Do not doubt my decision Brio, this is the one."

The bandicoot looked at each ugly human in turn, and then scoffed in a surprisingly uncharacteristic way. Brio was so perplexed that he approached a little too close, and in one instant the bandicoot had bitten him soundly on the nose. Brio jumped back with a loud screech, and the bandicoot appeared to sneer. Yet such a display of emotion was impossible. Wasn't it? The doctor ignored Brio's whimpering.

"Ready the evolvo-ray, immediately." He demanded.

Brio shrunk back to the machine. "Yet doctor Cortex, right away."

Cortex looked back at the bandicoot, and it looked back at him with a bold smirk. Cortex matched it, but was rather shaken by the intensity of this animal's ingenuity. Regardless, this bandicoot would be the largest part of his dastardly plan. It was fated to be so.


	2. Chapter 1: Crash Bandicoot

**Chapter one – Crash Bandicoot**

Crash Bandicoot waited patiently for an explanation as to why he was imprisoned in a holding cell, but although he had been as polite as possible he didn't think the enlightenment would be coming his way anytime soon. At this point all he knew was that he was very different. He had scattered memories of a life that didn't look like his own, accented with feelings of contentment and freedom. Whatever happened to him, it hadn't been pleasant. Not in the mood to recall the pain he experienced during the staggeringly disturbing transformation, Crash leaned against the bars and whistled loudly. The two lab assistants that stood guard at the hallway looked his way with their freakish zombie-like faces. A shiver danced up Crash's spine, but he didn't let it discourage him.

"Hey, jerks? Is anyone going to show me a smidge of decency, or am I gonna have to march out there and get my own food?"

Crash had no intention of eating any slop these freaks provided, but he was in desperate need to strike a nerve. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

"You guys aren't the most gracious hosts in the world." Crash scoffed as he leaned against the bars of his cell.

The lab assistants' gazes were still focused on him, and Crash shifted uncomfortably. He was annoyingly frightened of these creepy bastards, but he vowed not to show it. Although he was unsure of how he was going to escape, he had no doubt that the eventuality was imminent. Yet there were times of uncertainty that he refused to think about, knowing that half his confidence was supported only by wishful thinking. At this point, he would welcome anything to take his mind off where he was, and what had happened to him. It was just too confusing. Regardless of his wavering assurance, Crash rapped on the bars with his knuckles.

"I'm getting a little bored over here, what do you losers do for fun in this dump?" Crash didn't expect an answer, so he just leaned back on his elbows and stared at the roof passively.

"Crickey, what a hellhole." He muttered under his breath as he took in the dripping pipes and horrible stench. Either these meat sacs didn't possess a very high budget, or they were just keeping him there for a few laughs. Crash didn't bother considering either option; the fact of the matter was he was trapped behind bars in a pit that reeked of filth. That did not put him in good spirits.

He was just about to heckle his inanimate guards once again, but his taunts stuck in his throat as a massive door clanked open, echoing through the dank chamber. Crash propped his arms behind his head as he lay on his back, observing lazily, but truly curious and almost anxious at what was going on. Thankfully, the lab assistants didn't approach his cell. Instead, they dropped an unmoving heap of fur into the cage opposite his. Crash waited until the zombies departed, and then hopped up onto his knees for a better look. The creature was a kangaroo, or at least it had been. Whatever happened to it Crash was certain the procedure had driven it completely crazy. Although it wasn't moving, its eyes were wide open, staring with an empty yellow gaze. Crash felt an involuntary shiver. The animal's long tongue lay stretched across the floor, and he drooled profusely. Crash raked his hand through his lengthening red hair as he studied the dirty straight-jacket that pinned the kangaroo's arms. This was unlikely to be of any help to its captors, considering the length of the creature's lethally sharp claws on its feet.

Suddenly, the kangaroo woke up. Its eyes, now alight with madness, began to swirl with insanity, and its mouth curled into a twisted demented grin. It began to laugh, cackling so crazily that Crash jumped back, landing hard in a sitting position, legs straddled out in front of him.

"What the hell…?" Crash didn't bother continuing the sentiment as he watched the mad kangaroo smash its stupid head against the roof of its cage. It continued to laugh and bounce, unaware of the steel walls and roof surrounding it. Crash pinched the bridge of his nose as he fought to keep his patience intact.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

It appeared his captors' possessed some courtesy after all. The kangaroo was finally moved, perhaps to be placed within a soundproof cell. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter to Crash. He was looking forward to some well deserved peace and quiet. Leaning against the cold steel of the back wall, Crash rested with his arms propped under his head. A loud clank vibrated through the chamber, letting Crash know he was about to have some company. He opened one eye, but didn't bother moving. A couple lab assistants approached his cell and unlocked the barred door. Crash yawned despite his twinge of uneasiness.

"Come to keep me company?" He inquired scornfully.

One of the assistants produced a syringe from his jacket pocket, and Crash tensed immediately, masking the movement with a hesitant smile. As two assistants approached, Crash dashed out of the way, ricocheting off one wall and using the momentum to hold a strong stance on the other side of the cell.

"Sorry guys, needles make me nervous."

Crash already knew his chances of success were zilch, but he wasn't willing to make it easy for his jailers. If he had put in some effort repelling them, there was no doubt they might chain him up again, and that was something Crash desired to steer clear from. So when one of the pale assistants grasped onto his arm, he didn't resist. He grunted as he was wrestled to the ground, one of the assistants sat on him, holding him down with the slight weight. Crash chucked mechanically.

"Hey, not on a first date."

Crash wondered if these dead fish ever laughed at a joke, he guessed probably not. His laughing was replaced with a sharp snarl as he felt the needle plunge through his skin. He hissed a series of profanities as a portion of his precious blood was stolen. After the needle was removed, Crash bucked the assistant off his back, and sent him spiraling into the opposite wall. Crash felt a bit shaky, but got to his knees and stared at each lab assistant in turn. He snarled wickedly, and that reaction forced the weak creatures to gather their fallen comrade and rush out of the cell. After they were gone, Crash leaned back against the wall, wincing as he rubbed the punctured hole in his neck. The bastards weren't very gentle with their needle prodding, and Crash could feel wet blood on his fingers. He groaned, angered, but also motivated. Once he was sure he could escape, he would do so. Until then, he would remain where he was, calculating his plan.

* * *

The next day, Crash received a new cell mate. He had been tapping a tune on the metal floor when they brought her in. As they tossed her in the cell beside his, she remained unmoving, covering her head with her hands. Crash scooted over toward her slowly and carefully. She was a bandicoot, that was certain, and very pretty at that. Crash found himself at a loss for words, which was something that didn't happen often. With lack of a better conversation starter, he simply said,

"Hey?"

Her head snapped up, and Crash was momentarily staggered by the extent of fear on her face. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and Crash noticed for the first time that her body was crisscrossed with tiny cuts. Rapidly, her fear changed to frightened fury, and she glared at him with a wicked anger.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

Crash paused for a moment, and then grinned.

"I would have introduced myself immediately, but it has occurred to me that you are the newcomer to this grand yet somewhat dingy establishment, and therefore beginning the introduction is your job."

She cocked her head, staring at him in bafflement. Crash shifted. Had he taken it too far? Apparently not, considering she smiled softly.

"I'm Tawna." Her voice was very small, but thankful for his lighthearted manner.

Crash grinned, feeling a twinge of happiness at seeing her smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my name's Crash."

Tawna wrinkled her nose in consideration.

"What kind of a name is that?"

Crash leaned back on his heels.

"Alright, so my name's a verb, sue me." His bitterness was faked, and Crash couldn't hold back a devious smile when Tawna gasped.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I…"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it." Crash waved a hand dismissively. "To answer your question, I do have the suspicion my name has something to do with my natural ability to destroy everything I come into contact with."

Crash grinned heartily as he tried to bait her, and she took it with a hesitant smile. Yet the brightness in Crash's smirk dimmed substantially as he realized how utterly innocent she looked. It was obvious she was scared, and yet she was trying so hard to hide the fact. With a sudden jolt, Crash finally began to realize that this entire mess was very serious. This girl before him was proof of that. She looked so naïve, and so unprepared for what was happening. Crash was confident that he could handle whatever came his way, but how could she? How was she expected to?

Despite her unwillingness to face a brutal reality, Tawna was relatively pleasant company. Crash would do something stupid, and she would laugh, always softly and hesitantly, as if she didn't understand the reaction. Crash was never deterred, and it was a good day when he could make her smile. Yet the nights were different.

Sleeping in the dark, Tawna screamed, tossing within the depths of a nightmare. Crash snapped awake, and reached blindly though the bars. He clasped her hand, immediately trying to console her. When she woke up, she would calm right down, but the fear was still there. There was no way Crash could even attempt to make light of a nightmare, considering his own weren't the slightest bit pleasant either. All he could do was rub the back of her hand until she was fully awake. She'd apologize and would hesitantly go back to sleep. Yet Crash had trouble following suit, instead leaning against the bars separating them and staring into the abyss. The only thought that kept him from going nuts that they both might escape this horrible place.

* * *

In the middle of the night, the scientists came for Tawna again. Crash had finally drifted to sleep, and Tawna hadn't stirred at all. Crash had been looking forward to an uninterrupted rest, but rattled awake as he heard the clanging of metal. As he focused, he glanced at Tawna, noticing with an escalation of his heartbeat that her eyes were wide with fear. Yet she was attempting to hide her terror, not making a sound as the scientists opened her cage and waltzed in. Crash leapt to his feet as they grasped her wrist yanking her hard from her position on the floor.

"Leave her alone!" Crash shouted as he reached through his own bars, swinging a blind fist near one of their captors. He felt a satisfying thump as his attack connected, knocking one of the zombies into the opposite wall.

Tawna had a hand clasped on the bars, but the lab assistants were unyielding. She locked gazes with Crash, and the latter clenched his jaw as he saw how scared she really was. He reached out and grasped her hand, and she held him as if he was her only lifeline.

It couldn't last, and Crash watched with a welling anger as Tawna was dragged off out of the detention area. During her absence, he simply sat back pressed against the metal of the cage, waiting. He thought about going back to sleep, considering he hadn't had a fulfilling rest in a while. Yet he couldn't, all he could do was wait for them to bring her back.

* * *

Her physical condition hadn't worsened, thankfully, yet Crash could detect more marks of a shadowy fear in her eyes. She remained on her knees, staring at the opposite wall exactly where the assistants had left her. She seemed oblivious to her surroundings, including Crash who was pressed against the bars that separated their cells. He studied her silently, not having the nerve to speak. Her face was blank, and despite the lack of emotion Crash was staggered by the beauty of her delicate profile. As he watched her, he noticed with a jolt that a single tear had broken from her restraint, and tumbled down her cheek like a silver pearl. Crash gulped, taming the wrenching in his heart. Finally he spoke.

"Hey, are you alright?" The answer to that question was apparent, but Crash found that he had nothing else to say.

She finally realized he existed, and faced him with a look devoid of emotion. Then, ever so slowly a flame of fear-fueled anger flickered within her sapphire eyes. She let the tears flow freely now, but they contrasted with her enraged features.

"Crash, you have to get out of here."

Crash was taken aback, but his eyes remained passive. "That's the plan, but you don't need to worry about me. You need to get of here too remember?"

Tawna's eyes dulled as she spoke. "I already know I am going to die here Crash. They have no use for me, but they need you."

Crash felt an angry knot form in his stomach, and all previous evidence of lightheartedness faded away.

"So you've already given up huh? You're convinced, so now you won't even try?"

Tawna's eyes were like ice as she glared at him. "Don't you dare judge me; I have done all I can do to keep my hope alive." She was about to say more, but her strengthening voice faded as she broke eye contact. Crash's gaze remained fixed on her as she looked toward the barred window. "I'm so scared right now."

He reached through the bars and laid a hand on her trembling shoulder. She flinched slightly, but didn't move otherwise. Crash waited for her to meet his gaze, and eventually she did.

"Listen, sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere without you, and that's a promise. I won't leave you here." Now Crash smiled, glad the seriousness was over. He reached out and wiped her tears away. "So quit crying, alright?"

Tawna tried to restrain a smile, but the effort proved useless. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, the sadness still present but her aura was brightening.

"Thank you."

Eventually Tawna fell asleep, and Crash was on his own once more. While he was, he began to feel some hostility toward the whole situation. He was in no place to promise something like that. It would be hard enough getting himself out of that god-forsaken prison without having to worry about someone else. Crash snorted. Whatever the inconvenience, he had made a promise, and he would stick to it.

* * *

Dr. Neo Cortex leaned back in his large chair that was no less then a throne as he gazed over his laboratory. Although he preferred a clean environment, his lab assistants were unable to wash the majority of the blood off the steel counters. Dark stains dulled the metallic surfaces, and the experimental instruments were equally as unsanitary. Despite the untidy working space, Cortex felt a sick sense of invigoration forcing pain into those weaker then him. In the past, it had always been he who was attacked by the jeers of others, and now his bottled rage was beginning to resurface. He had a plan to ensure respect for his genius, for his scientist comrades as well as all of humankind. Now with the ability to genetically enhance the traits within animals, he had the resources to create his own army. He would possess a strong garrison of enforcers that would obey his every command, at least, once they were put through his grandest invention. A mind altering procedure he called the Cortex Vortex.

Cortex sensed a small movement to his left, but didn't bother to regard the inconsequential individual bustling about. Cortex had attended school with Nitrous Brio as a fellow student. Brio showed promise in the field of genetic engineering, and so Cortex had fed his lack of confidence and secured Brio's allegiance. Using Brio's expertise, the evolvo-ray was created, and Cortex only felt a small pang of regret at taking credit for the prototype. Cortex flicked a speck of dust off his pure-white lab coat, as he turned narrow eyes toward Brio.

"I am growing impatient Brio, how much longer will those modifications on the Vortex take? My grand plan must be unfolded as soon as possible."

Brio became increasingly nervous, and the wrench he had been using fumbled from his grasp. It landed with an echoing clatter on the metal, and Brio twitched in embarrassment.

"Apologies Doctor C-c-cortex, the Vortex should be ready soon. Yet we m-m-must be careful about the corrections or-"

"I do not want to hear excuses Brio, we must act quickly." Cortex turned to one of the many lab assistants mulling about. "Bring the bandicoot to me now."

Brio's face paled and he dropped his wrench again just after retrieving it. "But Doctor Cortex, we haven't determined the reasons for past failures."

Cortex glared at him with furious red eyes. Brio's mouth clamped shut. "Perhaps I have wrongly measured the extent of your ambition my friend. Now, will you follow my commands or must I find a new partner?"

Brio stuttered a negative, and reinforced his dedication by continuing his work on the Vortex. Cortex smiled wickedly as he leaned back in his chair, folding both gloved hands in his lap. It was only a matter of time before his goal was achieved.

* * *

Crash Bandicoot entered the ruddy laboratory in the grasps of two lab assistants. He had been here before, but not for a while. Since then the stains on the slabs of metal had grown more numerous, and the smell had become almost unbearable. The doctor who stood with his eyes fixed though a wide window didn't seem to mind it.

The doctor who was called Cortex didn't turn around until Crash was forced into the center of the chamber; the doors were locked shut behind him. Cortex's eyes bore into Crash, but the latter masked his uneasiness with a narrowed look. As Cortex moved down the staircase, Crash gazed around the room, nonchalantly looking for a weakness in the stronghold. Instead his eyes rested on the weird machine that had so rapidly changed him.

"Do not be too concerned Bandicoot, you will not be subjected to the Evolvo-Ray this time."

Crash clenched his teeth but remained silent. He wasn't going to give this crackpot the satisfaction of getting any rise of emotion out of him. Cortex sauntered over to another machine, and laid a hand on one of the metal overlays.

"Have you any idea why I have created you?" Cortex asked with an irritating trill in his voice.

Crash grunted. "I'm not a mind-reader, mate."

Cortex looked surprised for a fraction of a moment, as if he hadn't expected Crash to speak. Crash, on the other hand, felt a devious pleasure at throwing a hitch into the doctor's seemingly impenetrable reserve.

"Very forward Bandicoot, of course I will enlighten you." Cortex strode toward Crash, a look of self-satisfaction on his ugly face. "You are destined to be the leader of my great army. You will follow my orders directly and lead my militia of mutated animals into world domination."

For a silent moment the two stood there, locked in the hard stares of one another. Finally Crash leaned forward slightly with a roguish smile.

"Like hell I will."

Cortex's face bent in an angry smile. He came so close to Crash that the latter could smell his foul breath.

"Unfortunately, you won't have a choice."

Crash narrowed his gaze, and was about to speak again but thought better of it. Before he made another thoughtless comment, Crash considered what Cortex said.

_What kind of whack-job plans to take over the world with a bunch of mutated animals?_ Crash thought bitterly as he repositioned, trying to inconspicuously wriggle from the assistants' iron grasps. The endeavor proved useless. Cortex gave him one more calculating glance before turning away.

"Get him into the Vortex." Cortex commanded, and Crash stiffened immediately.

The skinnier scientist called Brio appeared out of the shadows, wringing his hands mercilessly. He seemed very nervous about something, more nervous then Crash at least. Crash walked along without a struggle as the assistants pulled him along. As he was pressed into an oddly shaped metal chair, he waited patiently for a weak spot in their grasps. Brio turned toward Cortex with an imploring expression.

"Please Doctor, the vortex is not ready, we have no idea what it will d-d-do."

Cortex was preoccupied with Brio's sniveling, and it was at this time that Crash decided to act. Just as an assistant looped a leather strap around Crash's wrist, the bandicoot brought the heel of his hand up into the chin of his captor. As that assistant staggered backward, Crash brought his fist back and struck the other lab-coat square in the head. By this time more laboratory servants appeared out of nowhere, but Crash already had enough room to hold his own against them all. Arm still pinned onto the chair, Crash waited for his attackers to come closer. When they were within range Crash planted both hands on the chair back and whirled, sending his feet flying in precise directions. Every time he collided with a scrawny creature, he felt his confidence build. When he had enough room, he slipped his hand from the leather strap and acted on instinct alone. Just as more assistants reached out their corpse-like hands, Crash spun around with the intensity of a tornado. He collided with assistants and machinery, knocking everything into complete disarray.

There was a strange sense of exhilaration Crash felt at causing so much chaos and destruction. He preformed a limber leap-frog hop over one assistant, and whirled in mid-air to slam both his feet into the chest of another. He started to make his way to the door, dodging attacks while skillfully dishing them out. The opening was in his sights, but before he could make a dash, he felt a sharp, almost blinding pain that appeared between his shoulder blades and shot though his nervous system. Crash hissed in surprise, followed immediately by a grunt as he was tackled by a gang of lab assistants. Underneath the combined bulk, Crash moaned as he attempted to struggle out from the bottom of the pile.

"Alright…get off, you jerks…we'll call it a draw."

Crash's voice was raspy, and as he felt air being crushed from his lungs he began to grow incredibly woozy. Finally, he was roughly yanked up to his feet and he coughed hard. The pain that had initially immobilized him was now a dulling ache, but Crash still felt very shaky. He made a quick scan to see what had managed to hit him.

Just as suspected, Cortex held a tiny, ridiculous looking hand pistol that would have been stupidly comical if it hadn't hurt so much. Crash felt limp as he was forced in front of Cortex again. Finding it difficult to catch his breath, Crash grinned wickedly.

"That…was cheating." He snarled.

"No one is going to deter my plan for world domination, least of all a bandicoot."

Crash scoffed, and didn't make another move to fight as he was forced into the seat again. He felt a panicky sensation blast though him as the belts were wound around his wrists. The fear fueled his strength for another escape attempt, yet it was too late. Yanking at the straps with rising anger, Crash glared hard at Cortex, who in turn flashed an infuriating smirk. The chair began to ascend, and as Crash glanced up, he was memorized by the light issuing from the globe-like chamber above him.

"When this is over, you will understand where your loyalty lies." Cortex called over the whirring of the machinery.

Crash felt an angry jolt rise though his being, and for once he felt little less then raw fury. He bared his teeth in a savage and frightening sneer.

"I think it only fair to warn you, you're gonna regret this."

Crash Bandicoot shut his eyes tight as the light engulfed him, so blinding that he dared not open them. The whirring inside the sphere was far worse than outside, and Crash felt for a moment that his ears were bleeding. Images whirled though his mind so fast that Crash was unable to remember where he was. How were they accomplishing this? It was strange, unnatural, and it hurt. Growling low in his throat, Crash focused on escape, that and nothing else. He fought hard to banish the brainwashing techniques, and it was the hardest thing he ever had to do. Every cell of his body was succumbing to the mind alter, and yet Crash kept his eyes closed and fought it off.

"_Crap_…" Crash gasped as he tore at his restraints, begging them to release him.

Words echoed though his head, ricocheting off the walls of the encasement so that each word was amplified and repetitive. Crash pinned his ears back, and as he continued to keep the words from registering and taking control of his mind, it felt as though his head was on the brink of explosion. Tears streamed down the fur of his cheeks as his brows knit together in defiant retaliation.

"Keep dreamin', pal…"

Crash bared his teeth and quickly gnawed through the leather, using the sharpness of his jaws as nature intended. A moment later, his bonds were cut loose, and with his mind half-crazed he leapt from the machine. He landed flat on his back, hacking an unsteady inhale. He looked up, directly into Cortex's surprised face. Crash grinned wickedly, and winked.

As soon as he was out, he was on the move. He didn't even remember tearing around the laboratory, crashing though machinery and experimentation devices. He was spinning, so fast he couldn't tell where he was going or what he hit until he completely destroyed it.

"Failure again. Capture him!"

"Not likely, bastards!" The tone of Crash's declaration was more comical than threatening.

Despite the lingering pain the machine had caused, Crash was having a relatively good time. Destroying all that your enemy had created actually was enough of a revenge for him. Regardless, he still had no way out of the place. He decided to worry about that when he came to it. He stopped spinning, skidding to a stop as he glanced in rapid motion. The living corpses were already on him, but Crash slipped away with no trouble at all. Crash finally decided, there was nowhere to go. All he could do was continue spinning, hoping that he'd be able to keep his enemies at bay while he thought up a plan. However, something occured that he did not expect. As he spun about like lunitic, he felt his foot catch on a piece of debris. His momentum propelled him forward and he found himself heading directly for a glass window. He covered his head with his arms as he shattered the glass. For a moment, it seemed as though he hovered there, surrounded by a dark sky filled with stars. It would have been a pretty sight were it not for the circumstances. As he noticed the whirling sea water below him, he said the first thing that came to mind, and it seemed to catch the essence of the situation perfectly.

"Uh oh."

Then he plunged into the dark water below.


	3. Chapter 2: N Sanity Island

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Two – N. Sanity Island**

_A bright spirit hovered around the island, searching for anything amiss, and these days problems were plenty. He was Aku Aku, spirit of a witch doctor and defender of the spiritual balance of the three islands. Yet he was unable to stop the scientists from taking innocent animals into the bowels of their fortress, their intentions unknown but predictably underhanded. The castle also was also polluting the ocean water, and although the ocean was widespread, some of the toxins had made their way into the streams that ran through the islands. Plants and animals were mutating without the use of the scientists direct interference. The spirit bowed his head in disgrace. He was to blame. His forces were not strong enough to defeat this new threat; he needed a brave hero to bestow his power upon. Immediately he sensed something was wrong, and he looked to the direction of the imbalance. Floating in the ocean was a figure, hard to trace at this distance, but obviously bipedal. Another experiment?_

Crash moaned as he rolled over, feeling impossibly sore but also quite sleepy. He probably would have remained asleep there on the beach, if a massive wave washed over him and sent him tumbling. He snapped awake instantly, muttering incoherently as he realized where he was. Sitting in a straddle on the sand, Crash squinted through the bright sun and could see the architecturally disastrous castle that littered the entirety of the island it was situated on. From this angle it looked like an ugly clawed thumb, one that Crash had no intention of returning to anytime soon. He stood up shakily, testing the firmness of the ground before stretching a knot in his shoulder. Behind him lay a remarkable jungle, and it looked like a sufficient source of shade. Crash had his mind set on taking a most welcome nap after his excursion whirling through the raging sea. Suddenly, Crash remembered something that almost caused him to land flat on his face. Tawna. She was still locked up in that place. Crash felt a little queasy for a moment, knowing he abandoned her there. It would have been easier to forget if he hadn't promised to protect her. He could see her now, alone, afraid, and staggeringly defiant for someone in such a position. Crash groaned. Just when he started to think there was nothing left to do but sleep. Well, it was decided. He would have to go back to that hellhole and rescue her.

Turning toward the open ocean, Crash concluded he could not possibly go the way he came, considering by the experience he could safely say he was unable to swim. Although some distant memories came back to him, familiarizing the island but no information credible enough to help him now, Crash knew he wasn't going to get very far without a map or something. Why couldn't the genetic mutation have enhanced his sense of direction? He would have been much better off. Starting off in the only direction he guessed was right, forward, he passed a sign half eaten away by salty sea air. It read _N. Sanity Island_. Crash sighed through an ironic smile. Perfect.

As Crash progressed through the jungle, he noticed the fallen shrines almost immediately. They were extraordinary to say the most, and old to say the least. Nonetheless, they stuck Crash with a feeling of wonder, and he paused a few times to attempt to decipher the strange inscriptions. That was a pointless endeavor. As Crash studied the pillar, he heard a gnarled growl. He would have been ready for an attack if he hadn't known it was his stomach. Crash hadn't realized how hungry he truly was until it hit him like a battering ram. Conveniently enough, a few succulent looking fruit were scattered about the jungle floor before him. Crash took one up and leaned against a strange idol head half visible and half buried, and took a large bite. His eyes lit up in surprise. It was delicious. No, he decided, more than that. He couldn't think of a word that described its remarkably smooth texture and the sweet and refreshing taste of the juice that exploded from it like a stream of sugary bliss. Crash ate three in less time it took to say it, spitting out the pits as he would reach for another. On his fifth fruit, Crash slowed down and began to savor the sweet taste, appreciating it as he frequently as he appreciated his own handsome orange fur.

"Crash Bandicoot, I presume?"

Crash was up and moving before the speaker had finished his sentence. He leapt on the pillar in a defensive stance, holding the fruit above his head as if he were about to throw it. Not the best choice of weapons, but Crash was not very good at split second decisions as he had come to realize. The speaker was actually a floating piece of wood Crash realized a moment later to be a mask. Although it had a kind face, Crash was not in the mood to fall into any traps.

"Yeah, and who's asking?"

"My name is Aku Aku." The mask replied, swaying slightly in the breeze. "I defend this island, and all its inhabitance. It is my duty to protect the balance of jungle life, and the fortification of peace."

Crash knew it was rude of him, but he scoffed. "Well bud, not to be bitter or anything, but I think you fouled up big time."

Aku Aku seemed downcast and ultimately sorrowful after Crash's words that he immediately regretted saying them. He looked kind enough, although those glowing yellow eyes were sending chills of uneasiness down Crash's spine. Yet those eyes were also pleading forgiveness, and although Crash felt for the guy, he wasn't about to trust anyone any time soon.

"I apologize, Crash, for my weakness. There is some strange force at work in the castle, and I fear that Dr. Cortex has more power then demonstrated."

Crash cocked his head. "More power than a way to rapidly evolve animals and then draft them into his own private army?" He laughed. "Can't imagine."

Aku didn't seem to catch onto the joke, his aura was all business. It appeared that he thought of himself as Crash's guardian now, considering his unfortunate past was partly his fault. Still, Crash had a job to do.

"Crash, I implore that you stay well away from Cortex or his castle. I do not know if he will come looking for you, but you should choose caution regardless."

Crash didn't skip a beat. "Sorry man, I can't stick around here."

Aku didn't reply, obviously confused.

"I've got a…friend waiting for me at the castle, and I'm not breaking a promise to a friend." Crash was surprised by his own forwardness, but even if the mask had attempted to convince him, Crash's mind was already set.

"Then I shall accompany you on your mission. I have some protective abilities that may prove useful to you."

Crash held up a hand to decline. "Appreciate the offer, but I don't need any help."

Coincidently, before Crash could finish his sentence, he felt something slash at his back. Spiraling around, his jaw dropped as a massive king crab brought back its deadly sharp pincers to attack again. Caught in a shocked mind-blank at precisely the wrong moment, Crash stood there like a dummy as the crab's claw shot toward him. Yet its pincer didn't reach him. As Crash looked on with surprise, he saw a burst of energy strike the crab and send it flying into the ocean. Crash turned back toward Aku, and then whistled low.

"Check that."

Apparently Aku's power wasn't all he claimed it was. He was the defender of peace, and therefore his power could not be generated enough for attack. So he compensated by using his own energy. He explained that after absorbing an attack, he needed time to recharge. Crash was only mildly interested, but was thankful for the mask's help despite all these rules. He was also itching to get on his way.

"Also," Aku continued with his yakking. "The wamba fruit scattered about the island are nutritious and filling. Eating this fruit will keep your energy level at its peak."

Crash tried not to giggle. Like he had to be informed of that.

"But be warned, most of the vegetation on this island is extremely dangerous. Cortex not only mutated the animals he caught, but obliquely affected the entire land."

Crash wrinkled his nose. "Meaning?"

Aku was patient, to say the least. "Meaning the pollution from the castle has been transported through the air and the water, and everything has become contaminated. If you are so determined to save your friend Crash, I would implore you also to stop Cortex from this treachery."

Crash bit back a contemptuous grin. "So, let me get this straight. First, you wanted me to hide from this guy, and keep away from that dump he calls a castle. Now, seeing as I'm going there to save a victim from his clutches anyway, you think it logical that I just…take him out while I'm up there. Is that about right?"

Aku Aku bowed his wooden body in sorrow, and Crash's former bitterness decreased slightly. When the mask didn't retort to his statement, Crash let out a long sigh.

"If I can get up there, I'll give it a try. Crazy humans with god-complexes don't make good neighbors anyway."

Although Crash was in agreement, it did little to pick up Aku's mood, even as they started on their journey. Crash realized it was actually a good idea to have Aku Aku along on this hike, considering he didn't know the formation of the island at all. He would have been lost for a long time, wandering around with rising frustration through the thick jungle. Regardless, Aku seemed to know where he was going. As Crash scaled the ruins of an ancient civilization, the mask finally began to speak again. He explained the origin of the culture, and what some of the symbols on the pillars meant. Supposedly, one very old tribe had been formed on this island long ago, though according to Aku, the islands were not separated. There was only one large island, creating a home for many jungle creatures. The island was bountiful, and therefore the people prospered, becoming more and more inclined to travel the ocean. They had created a magnificent ship, carved from a hard wood, with the ancient god Cazi the figurehead of the bow. When the ship was completed, a group of brave tribesman volunteered to sail the sea. For some reason Aku seemed regretful when he spoke this, as if the story brought him some kind of pain. When he paused, Crash began stretching one arm uncomfortably. From Aku's tone, Crash felt like making an apologetic or sympathetic remark. Yet, he was not very good at emotional mumbo jumbo, and so he regretfully remained silent.

As Aku continued, he explained that a massive storm attacked the island, a fiery battle of waves and rain. The storm tore at the heart of the island, destroying the tribe within it. Their monuments plummeted to the ground, killing the unfortunates caught under them instantly. Deep pits were carved through the land, and tangled vines and dangerous plants littered the ground.

Through the cracking thunder and the blinding lightening, a massive wave materialized from out of the distance. The tempest's hammer would have pulverized and engulfed the island completely, but a mystic force was able to provide enough protection to keep some of the land whole. This explains the reason for the three smaller islands that now make up the tropical world. Aku Aku trailed off, leaving the story unfinished. Crash twitched in the heavy silence, and forced himself to speak before he freaked out.

"So…uh…then what happened to all the people?"

Aku didn't answer right away, looking up to the sky as if he expected the answer to fall from the heavens.

"Some smaller tribes are still living on this island, and although they descended from the survivors of the catastrophe, there are little similarities between the first people, and them."

Crash swallowed, and felt the need to ask. "Well then, are they, you know, cannibals?"

"Oh no, of course not." Aku sounded shocked, and Crash felt relieved. Yet the relief lasted only a moment. "But you had better watch out for them, for even though you are genetically evolved, they'll still see you as a bandicoot."

Crash moaned. Great, now on top of all the trouble he already had to deal with, he now had to look out for carnivorous tribes that would eat him. The day was getting better and better.

"Well, thanks for the heads up."

As Crash continued on, the jungle was becoming more treacherous, and dangerous. Crash swatted large vines out of his path, and grumbled angrily as he tromped through the muck. This island was not small, that was for sure. In fact, it would probably take a year long expedition to explore all the different cliffs and caverns. The jungle was thick with vegetation, and the strange sticky climate was murder on his fur. As he walked, he focused on smothering a cowlick that had appeared out of nowhere, and his frustration level began to ascend.

"Crash, wait."

Crash stopped with one foot still extended out in front of him. Aku was hovering with a look of concern on his face. When the command was not elaborated, Crash gave him a quick irritated shrug. Aku had dropped his voice to a whisper.

"We are nearing some of the tribes now. The quickest way to the docks goes through a village. Many of the tribes are friendly, but these are…headhunters."

Crash snorted in amusement. "Isn't that just the luck?"

Aku wasn't deterred by his sarcasm. "They also are very protective of their village. They are so cautious that have a great gate constructed around the perimeter. They also surrounded the border of the gate with treacherous traps and modes of ensnarement."

"Ah. I see. Well, that shouldn't be too bad."

Crash took another step and the ground crumbled beneath him. Cursing a profanity as he began to fall, he felt an invisible force grasp and toss him back to safety. He landed hard on his face with a loud "oof!". Brushing the dirt off his nose, he took a good look at where he was going. When he saw what lay before him, he cocked his head, thinking he probably should have evaluated first. There were a countless number of pits scattered through the trees, and stone arches with wheel-like stones that rolled back and forth.

"Perpetual motion." Aku enlightened.

"Yeah, thanks." Crash groaned.

This was going to be very interesting.


	4. Chapter 3: Tribal Traps

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Three – Tribal Traps**

Crash had passed through many of the traps effortlessly, using his limber movement to his advantage. Strangely, there was not a sound to be heard around him. He could not hear birds chattering or wind rustling through the trees. Everything seemed so…eerie. Crash swallowed, and continued on, taking tentative steps. Aku was close behind, also keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might be sufficient enough to take out a bandicoot. Crash grimaced.

"Can't they whip up anything more exciting then this? I'm getting bored."

"It is not wise to be overconfident Crash, this is a dangerous place. Be wary."

Crash moved slowly, trying to be careful. Yet his impatient nature was getting the better of him. He wanted to get to that castle now. The quicker he could breach the lab, beat the bad guy and save the girl, the quicker he could get back to the island to snooze. His forwardness got the better of him. He stepped onto a stone arch.

"Watch out!"

Aku's voice rang out, and Crash whirled, unsure what to watch out for. He realized what it was just as a large stone wheel rolled from its concealed place, heading straight for him. The seconds seemed to stretch as Crash dove out of the path of the hundred pound disk, twirling in mid air so he landed on his back with a bounce on the soft jungle carpet. He was about to laugh in arrogance, but as he looked up his breath caught in his throat. A massive boulder was resting precariously on an overhang of a hidden cliff, and by the way the pebbles cracked away at its base Crash had the suspicion it wasn't going to remain suspended for long. He would not be able to get out of the way in time, so he stared dumbly upward, wishing he had a wamba fruit to share his last moments with.

Suddenly, a bright golden light appeared, and Crash tilted his head as the boulder remained where it was. Aku Aku had positioned himself in front of Crash, and was using his power to hold back the boulder. Aku turned his shuddering body slightly and muttered a word Crash could only decipher as:

"Run."

Crash took the advice, scrambling to his feet and then running as fast as he could through the serious of stone wheels. He was able to keep a consistent pace through the clearing of stone arches and rolling stones by waiting for a fraction of a second, and leaping through just as the wheel rolled past. If he didn't time it right he would be a mashed mess on one of the arches, yet he tried extra hard to keep that image out of his head. Then, he heard a loud crashing sound and the ground beneath him vibrated. He sternly ordered himself not to turn around, unfortunately, he was not a good listener, even to himself. Apparently Aku had lost control of the boulder, because now it was rolling toward Crash with a vengeance. Gulping back instant fear, Crash took off into the chaos, setting off booby traps as he did so. He found it very difficult to run with the ground vibrating beneath him, but he noticed with relief that the traps were slowing the boulder down. Yet the not so fortunate part was that although the boulder was slowing down, it had unhinged some stones and now they were all chasing him, rolling like a stony stampede.

Crash picked up speed, taking comfort in knowing that if he did trip, he would probably roll faster than the boulder. Yet, he wasn't about to test that theory. The rumbling was growing louder, and Crash knew without turning that the rocks were gaining on him. He clenched his teeth at his rotten luck. The path in which he was currently running for his life was narrow, and the he was unable to dive out of harms way due to rock sides and thick jungle vegetation. Sweat began to matt his fur as he continued to run as fast as possible; thankfully his speed which was considerable. One of the things the evil scientist forgot to bestow on his general of domination was a good set of muscles, and at the moment, Crash's skinny lightness was doing him a favor. His green eyes shot around, scoping for anything that could get him out of the mess he was in. Then, he grinned crookedly.

_There._

A small structure of ruins was patterned in such a way that, if he dove through it, might be strong enough to hold back the stones. Yet by its ancient appearance and the fact that it was already crumbling, Crash was afraid it might just implode and then join the fray. Regardless, he was sick of running. With an extra burst of speed, Crash's feet were a blur as he calculated his position. His timing had to be impeccable, or he wouldn't gain enough air to throw him out of harms way. Crash grimaced.

_Well, I guess I'm going to be doing some rolling after all._

Crash leapt, sailing through the air. He passed through the arch of ruins, and protected his head as he led with his shoulder into a series of somersaults. At this point, he wasn't trying to stop himself. He needed as much distance as he could get. The impact was brutal, but Crash had already known he would walk away with a few bruises from this one. Finally, he skidded to a stop, flat on his face. He covered his head as pebbles and rock shards rained over him, peppering him with painful little stings. Then a booming sound of stone collapsing filled the air. The archway apparently hadn't been strong enough to completely stop the cascading rock, and the entire structure had timbered. When the dust settled, Crash slowly peeked out from beneath his arms still folded over his head to take a look at what happened. The fragment of tribal construction had completely collapsed, and Crash found himself in the center of various mountains of rocks. Crash whistled, and scratched an ear.

"Now there's lucky, and there's lucky. That was damn lucky."

Crash could have stayed there all day, congratulating himself on his survival, but he still had a job to do. So with a last farewell to the pile of rock, he dusted off his pants, and continued on.


	5. Chapter 4: The Great Gate

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Four – The Great Gate**

Crash tilted his head back, his eyes as wide and round as saucers. He had never seen anything quite like what lay before him. The long sharpened trunks that were expertly lashed together seemed to scrape the sky. It was a massive gate, and one that would be impossible to get over. Crash grinned slowly as he laid an orange hand on the wood.

_Nearly impossible._

Crash found that it always paid to have a positive outlook, no matter how terrible things seemed. As he latched his claws into the gate and began to climb, his thoughts drifted back to Aku Aku. He hadn't seen the old mask since he blocked the giant boulder for those few crucial seconds, and Crash had tossed the idea around whether to search for him or not. His decision drifted toward the latter. Aku defiantly knew the island better than he did, so he could probably find him in no time at all. Crash, on the other hand, needed to keep moving. He also liked the idea of being on his own for a bit. There was no doubt he needed the practice. Pretty ridiculous that he was planning to take out a crazy doctor, and he couldn't even walk through a jungle without being nearly being eaten, or crushed for that matter.

Immersed in his thoughts, Crash missed a foot hole, and with a rising panic he realized he was sliding. His hands scrambled franticly to find leverage again.

"Dammit!"

He should not have shouted, nonetheless, he did. Crash extended his claws and pressed them hard into the gate, and as he watched tiny snake-like bark curl from the grooves, he felt a wave of relief as he realized he was slowing down. He tightened his grip, and finally he slowed to a stop. He let out a long exhale, and saw that his arms were shaking. He chuckled as he gathered lost air into his lungs, praising his ever present luck. Unfortunately it was about to run out.

Crash froze as he heard strange voices from above. He risked a look, and realized they were a couple of native guards that had probably heard his shriek of profanity and were coming to investigate. They started jabbering to one another in a freaky dialect that Crash couldn't even begin to decipher. Thinking invisible thoughts, Crash pulled himself closer toward the wall, and hoped that his orange fur would blend in enough with the wood. Taking a peek, Crash noted with a gulp that they held sharp spears.

Eventually, the two natives were convinced that there was nothing of importance that threatened their wall, or maybe they just weren't worried about a mutant bandicoot that was clinging precariously to it. As it stood, Crash wasn't too worried about what would happen to him_ if_ he reached the top. His only goal at present was not to fall off and plummet to the ground. Cautiously, he reached out, grasped a hold, and continued to ascend. He was more careful during his second run, but had to fight to keep his impatience from forcing him to make another mistake. He could feel a few tiny slivers in the palms of his hands from where he had his close call. Yet that subtle injury had no affect on Crash's ability to climb, he was just annoyed at it something fierce. In a few moments, he had reached the top.

Carefully and slowly, he took a tentative glance over the top of the gate. The villagers inside were rushing about in a manic way, and since they seemed so preoccupied, Crash took a deep breath and hoisted himself up. He landed softly on an upraised path of wood, and immediately began his inconspicuous lurk. Crash wasn't a very good lurker, he realized. Just as he turned the corner, he collided into something that bounced off him. Crash stumbled back a step, and then grimaced with irritation when he realized a small native fellow was sprawled on his back, firewood scattered everywhere. Crash would have assisted the man in gathering the wood, but unfortunately he couldn't get the idea that those same logs may soon be burning under him out of his mind. The fortunate part was that although Crash was a terrible lurker, he was quick. When the native cleared his head from the daze and looked around for what hit him, he saw nothing but a few fluttering pieces of yellow grass, the same yellow grass that thatched the roof of the house that Crash was hiding on. The native shook it off and gathered the wood himself. By that time, Crash had already leapt to another platform and continued to infiltrate the fortress while staying very close to the wall. He wanted to stay high, because that would give him room to jump around if he was spotted. Whatever good that would do when he was in the middle of an enclosed village of headhunting bandicoot-eaters. His ears folded against his head in concentration as he aimed to leap onto the next platform. Not pausing to second guess how far away his target was, he took a deep breath and jumped, soaring through the air as his hands reached out for the wooded platform. He grasped onto it, and as his claws latched on he released a sigh of relief.

It didn't last long. With a look of shocked disbelief, Crash felt his hands begin to slip as the platform tilted. It was positioned on a central axel, Crash realized now with frustration. Probably another stupid trap. When the platform finally stopped, it was vertical, and Crash found himself dangling like an idiot above all the natives.

_Okay jerks, we'll be fine, just don't look up._

Crash prepared to rescue himself from the mess he had thrown himself into. So he kept his claws buried in the wood, and began to swing himself to gain some momentum. When he was swinging fast and high, he released the platform, and flipped through the air in a couple back flips. He kept in a ball until he spied another target. He gracefully outstretched himself, twisting in mid air and baring his claws out before him. He just made it. Holding on to the edge of the platform, Crash chuckled at his own genius.

Then someone poked him with a spear. Crash looked up, and the smile disappeared from his face. A native man, quite skinny, held the spear before him threateningly. Crash offered a tentative grin, and then shrugged. The man, whose mushroom-cropped black hair covered most of his features, leaned toward him.

"Gazta ti?"

Crash's jaw dropped. He cocked his head as he made a guess.

"Uh, sure."

The native looked at him curiously, and then without warning brought his spear back and prepared to stab the dangling bandicoot. In an effort not to be skewered, Crash swore and released the platform, hurtling downward at a fast rate. A moment later he felt his back break through some wood, which thankfully slowed his fall enough that when he hit the ground, he was only stunned. He couldn't afford to waste time, so he forced his bruised body to lift itself up, and he staggered onto his feet. When he looked forward, he felt obliged to say something.

"Oh crap."

Despite all his successful close calls, today was going to be a rotten day. Thirty natives stood within the center of the village, all motionless, and all staring at him. He offered them a friendly wave. There wasn't really much for him to do but make a quick speech.

"Good day tribes' people, I am sorry to disturb you all but if it's not too much trouble, I would like to pass through your impressive village so that I can reach the boatyard on the other side." Crash took a deep breath. "So, is that, um, likely to happen?"

The tribes' people obviously didn't speak his language, from the way they looked at one another curiously. Yet Crash got his answer when each one of them provided their own spear in which to attack him with. As they edged closer, Crash shook his head irritably.

"Crikey, I guess I need to run again."

Yet by the look of how adept the natives were at securing the perimeter, Crash doubted he'd even be able to run through their lines. His hands came up uselessly to ward off danger as he took a couple steps back. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied his salvation. A few wild hogs were grazing not to far away from him, and Crash felt a smile brighten his features.

He wouldn't have to run after all, in a matter of speaking. In the duration of a second, Crash leapt astride one of the larger hogs, and yipped excitedly as the hog took off. It was extremely difficult to hold on to the bouncing beast, and steering was defiantly out of the question. All Crash could do was latch onto its ears and propel through the village, knocking over spear-wielders and pretty much anything else that got in his way. The hog continued to gallop even as a dozen villagers knelt down in its path, pointing their weapons forward so Crash and the boar both would poke a few holes into themselves. Crash grunted. The stupid animal wasn't turning. Crash inhaled sharply as he delivered a hard kick to the hog's sides. Miraculously, the boar obediently leapt, soaring over the villagers and then leaving them in the dust. After a few moments, Crash realized that they were just going in circles.

"How the heck do I get out of here?!" Crash shouted at no one in particular.

No one had an answer, least of all the hog, which was still just snorting and moving its stubby little legs as fast as possible. Crash was about to reevaluate the situation, when his vision was suddenly filled with a shaft of white light. When his distorted vision stabilized, he discovered he was flat on his back, staring up at the sky.

"Nice day." He observed with an incoherent mumble.

He heard some heavy breathing, and so he tilted his head upward. A massive native was standing over him, his tiny head emphasized by a bulbous belly. It seemed as though the giant feathered headdress adorning the tribesman's diminutive head was compensating for something. In one hand, the man held a huge golden staff. Then, Crash was struck with a realization.

"Wait a second, did you hit me with that thing?"

The man didn't move, but Crash did think he heard rumbling. He knew all too well what that sound meant. The giant man reached down and picked Crash up by the scruff of his neck. Not too far away, the hog had stopped running and had continued to graze.

"Yeah, thanks a lot. Hope you enjoy yourself you smelly pig."

The hog made no gesture of understanding as Crash was dragged toward the center of the village, wondering where Aku Aku was and what was taking him so long to do his rescue thing.

Crash couldn't really fathom that he was tied to a totem pole, and that some little natives were starting a pot of water on a fire. The big fella was sitting on a throne of some kind, so Crash thought it was safe to say that he was the chief of the tribe. Judging by the size of his stomach, eating was his passion, and Crash felt a little queasy at being his dinner. He squirmed in the grasp of the ropes, but there was no point in doing so. He had no chance to snap them, considering his arms were about as skinny as toothpicks. So he pondered, planning out an eventual escape. The natives that brought the huge chief food kept addressing him as Papu Papu. Crash shrugged. He didn't really care about the name of the guy who was about to eat him, but he found himself giggling at it just the same.

Considering how much Papu Papu was stuffing his fat face, Crash began to hope that he was going to be too stuffed to start on him. Unfortunately, after the last bone was picked clean, Papu Papu pointed a thick finger in Crash's direction.

"Mika tae!" He bellowed, and then rumbled the village with a massive belch.

The villagers repeated the order as they picked up their spears and began to advance. Crash groaned as they slowly came closer.

"Look guys, I've always had the belief that you should never eat anything with a face." Crash cocked his head and grinned hesitantly. "You wouldn't want to eat such a handsome face, would you?"

The villagers again didn't seem to understand, and they continued forward. Crash was about to shout a profanity that they wouldn't understand, when a sudden eruption rattled the ground beneath him.

"What the…?"

The totem pole began to fall forward, with Crash still attached to it! He wailed as he fell flat on his face, and realized with some satisfaction that the pole was not heavy at all. Crash grunted as he forced the thing to roll, giving him some air.

_Well, maybe a little heavy._

The villagers were in a panic, and they dashed around the chaos with no idea what to do. Crash caught his breath just as Aku appeared above him. His gold eyes were wide with worry.

"Are you alright Crash?"

Crash offered a grimacing smile. "Y'know, you could have cut the ropes."

"Take heed!"

Crash dodged at just the right moment, watching a sharp spear plunge into the wood beside his ear. He rolled the pole so he had the use of his feet. As he swung the pole about him like a battering ram, he was still wondering to himself.

_Take heed? _

He seemed much more preoccupied with Aku's strange statement then clobbering ravenous tribes folk. Crash winced as he felt a spear slash at his shoulder.

"Hey, that stings!"

Crash knocked the attacker flat on his back, and narrowed his bright green eyes.

"So, you guys want to play rough huh?"

Crash planted his feet, gathered some momentum, and then spun as fast as he could. The environment surrounding him blurred together as bits of dirt and sand rose up into the tornado. He felt quite invincible, which was strange considering he was still lashed to a tree trunk. Yet his streak would not last. His legs caught on something and he tripped, whirling out of control and making a very painful face plant into the dirt. The pole rolled, still powered by his awesome force, and stopped with Crash facing upward.

"Okay, now that hurt."

Crash wrinkled his nose as he shook off the pain, and then felt a shiver of unease dance up his spine as Papu Papu towered over him. Crash was instantly annoyed.

_Oh, it's that stick again._

With a grunt of effort, Papu Papu raised the bladed staff and then brought it back down hard. The man was strong, but insanely slow, so Crash needed only to move out of the way at just the right moment. The blades cut through the ropes, and Crash propelled himself away from the pole and attacker, twisting in the air to land facing the giant chief. Papu was getting frustrated, and he thumped closer to Crash with evil intent. Papu's muscles rippled as he swung the staff in Crash's direction. Crash leapt over it, nearly grinning as it soared underneath him. Papu staggered off balance, and Crash took advantage. Yet, as he had discovered before, he was not very good at split second decisions. He did a well executed front flip, and drove his uniquely large feet into the top of Papu's head. Crash hadn't the faintest idea why he did that, and didn't know what he could do now that he was on top of his enemy. Yet, to Crash's astonishment, Papu began to fall forward. Crash jumped off, landing softly to the ground just as the big chief crashed onto his face. The ground shook, and Crash had to catch his footing to avoid toppling over himself.

_Well, that was pretty smart of me, got to remember that one._

Crash couldn't have been more surprised that such a seemingly useless move actually worked. Not wanting to draw any more attention from the natives, Crash started to jog toward the opposite gate. Aku Aku was hovering there, and Crash felt exasperation well up inside him.

"So, where were you while I was bravely facing the big chief?"

Aku seemed shocked.

"Why, I was opening the gate for you to make your escape."

Crash sighed. The mask seemed to have more confidence in him then he had in himself. Regardless, Crash offered him a sloppy salute as he dashed through the thin opening and back into the thickness of the jungle.


	6. Interlude One: Tawna

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Interlude – Tawna**

The cell was dank and cold, but Tawna strove to think of happier thoughts as she pressed her head against the bars. She frequently looked out the window, just to take her mind off her situation even for a few moments. Crash was gone, apparently having jumped to his death, if Cortex's statements were to be taken with consideration. Tawna, for one, was unable to believe it. Yet as she stared out the window, trying to enjoy the sunny day within the confines of a cage, a warm tear trickled down her cheek. What if it was true? Tawna closed her eyes tight, and then opened them again as she focused on the farthest island. It was majestic, but no matter how much Tawna forced herself to admire it, she simply couldn't. Suddenly, she heard a loud sound of a metal door opening. She whipped around, hands still gently pressed on the sill. Cortex had come himself, and Tawna stiffened as he stopped directly before her cage. He clasped his hands behind his back.

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that your bandicoot friend is still alive."

Tawna felt a wave of happiness fill her, and she grinned almost wickedly.

"I knew he would be."

Cortex laughed hollowly. "You must realize that his survival was a fluke, nothing more. He will not be able to live through the traps I have in place for him."

Tawna didn't betray any sense of concern, even though her arms had began to tingle.

"He won't fall for your traps."

Cortex's expression remained the same, cocky and contemptible. "We'll see. In the meantime, there is still quite a bit of work to be done. I cannot halt my experiments because of one of my subjects has escaped. We will continue as planned."

Cortex snapped his fingers, and two lab assistants entered the cell bay. Tawna inhaled sharply. As she was carted back to the lab, she couldn't block a familiar voice from entering her conscious thought.

_I won't leave you here._

It must have just been a false promise Crash devised to comfort her at the time. He would be mad to try and save her, especially if he had washed onto one of the other islands. The lab assistants roughly forced her through twin steel doors, and as Tawna spied all the machinery within she closed her eyes and exhaled to calm herself.

_Please Crash, wherever you are, stay away._

She tried to be brave, but inside, she hoped beyond hope that Crash was on his way, and he would rescue her from this awful place.


	7. Chapter 5: N Tensity Island

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Five – N. Tensity Island**

The "boat yard" Aku Aku had spoken of was hardly a boat yard. Crash had successfully made it to the right side of the island, and he was staring with little enthusiasm at a rickety boat. Crash placed his hands on his hips and blew out a heavy breath.

"So, are you really expecting me to cross over in this tiny little dinghy?"

Aku looked slightly surprised. "This is the only boat left on the island, the natives are afraid of the water, and have destroyed every one they could find. The grander vessels from long ago have long since rotted and were rendered useless."

There was a nice silence for a moment, and then Crash clapped his hands. "Alright, let's get at it."

Crash grunted as he leaned into the boat, pushing into the gently lapping ocean. He felt water fill his shoes, and he bit back an irritated statement. He climbed into the boat, and then turned back to glance at Aku Aku, who hadn't moved.

"What are you waiting for?" Crash called as the boat started to drift.

"I should secure this island before I move on to the next. I'll meet up with you later."

Crash dropped his jaw. "What? What do you mean? I'm going to be out there in the open ocean in a dinky, hole-ridden cup, and you're leaving now?"

"Apologies Crash, but I must linger only for a while. Regardless, even if I do go with you, my magic has no effect around the vicinity of water. I will catch up with you once you get to the other side."

"Your magic doesn't work around water?! Well, there's some fine print I probably should have known before." Crash was bitter.

"Good luck until we meet again."

With that, Aku disappeared, and Crash had his brow furrowed. As he was pulled out to sea, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

"I could always use you as a raft if the boat sinks!"

There was no answer, so Crash sat back, grabbed an oar and began to paddle.

"Oh well, no use bellyaching now. Hoist the sails, full steam ahead!"

--

"Have you released that demented kangaroo?" Cortex asked as he stared out the window with an angry glare.

"Yes, Dr. Cortex…but…I wonder why you would let it go. It-t-t could do a fare amount of d-d-damage if…"

"I know that!" Cortex snapped. "However, it will tear apart anything it can get its hands on. Including that miserable abomination." Cortex felt an evil grin rise to his lips. "Brio, as a precaution, let out Koala Kong as well."

Brio looked shaken. "But, Doctor…"

Cortex gave him an acidic look. "I am quite aware of what I am doing, Brio. Release him as well."

Brio bowed quickly and scurried off to complete the order. Cortex took a deep breath, looking down at the islands, his islands, and his kingdom. Soon, his rule would spread much father then three measly islands. Soon, the entire world would be bowing to him. Once Crash Bandicoot was abolished, he would be free to continue with his master plan.

--

Surprisingly, the trip was not as long or difficult as Crash had expected. His arms were dead tired, but the boat had certainly proved itself. Crash smiled tiredly as he patted the bow of his little boat.

"Good on yah mate, thanks for the ride."

Just as the boat touched the sandbar, Crash felt wet. Looking down, he grimaced. The wood had begun to crack, and jets of water were squirting up like little fountains. Crash narrowed his eyes as he found himself sitting up to his waist in cool ocean water.

"Had just enough in you for one trip, eh darlin'?" Crash stood up and felt a buzz of irritation as he sloshed through the shallows and onto the sandbank.

He was very thankful that the boat had enough oomph to get him across, but he wasn't looking forward to tromping through the next jungle with wet pants and shoes. He shook himself off, feeling foolish as his fur stuck out in every direction. He guessed there was no one around he would need to look pretty for anyway, but it still was annoying. Crash walked for a couple minutes, rejoicing as the sun came back out and started to dry him, and stopped as he reached the food of a waterfall. He folded his arms, and looked up as far as he could. It sure was a high, probably too high to climb. He cocked his head as he stared upward, and then one ear twitched involuntarily. Something was…

Crash dove, feeling something sharp graze his back as he rolled over the jungle moss. He came out of the roll in an off-balanced crouch, glancing around quickly to see what had attacked him. A kangaroo, a deranged kangaroo, hopped around in random pattern laughing its head off. Its swirling yellow eyes then focused on him, and Crash felt a little uncomfortable. The kangaroo's mouth opened into a freaky grin, and it lunged.

"Gak!" Crash huffed as he darted out of the way.

The kangaroo was fast, incredibly so. The only way Crash could avoid being punctured by its sharp claws was by consistently moving. The laugh it bellowed chilled Crash to the bone, yet a light went off in his mind as he remained in motion. This was the same crazy kangaroo who had been imprisoned in the cell in front of him. The one who made so much noise that Crash had been deprived of sleep for who knew how many nights. Suddenly, the kangaroo was in front of him, and Crash slid to a stop. An instant later, the kangaroo had thrown out its huge feet, and Crash flew through the air, limps sprawling, and splashed into the lagoon.

"Dammit!" Crash was instantly angered about being wet again, but his irritation was short lived.

The kangaroo leapt high in the air, and was coming down with its claws aimed. Crash gritted his teeth and flipped, landing on his feet waist deep in water while the kangaroo splashed. Its long, slimy tongue hung out the side of its mouth as it continued to bounce, moving toward Crash again. It was very difficult to maneuver in the water, and slowed Crash right down. The kangaroo didn't seem to notice, still as fast as ever with its ability to bounce around. The kangaroo attacked again, and Crash felt the wind knock out of him as he was propelled into a bunch of boxes. When his vision cleared, he noticed these weren't just boxes, they were explosives. His jaw dropped, and he moved as fast as possible to get himself out of the water. From the loud beeping of the TNT, he had activated them with his hard head. That wasn't a good thing, for sure. Just as Crash reached a large rock he prepared to ricochet off, he felt another hard kick at his back. He flew forward faster then intended, and twisted midair to slam his shoulder blades into the stone. The kangaroo was coming at him fast, obviously intending to crush him into a fine powder. Crash gulped, and dodged out of the way. The rock crumbled under the amazing force, and the kangaroo turned to find where his victim disappeared too.

Now Crash stood between two things he realized he would never want to be between again. A crazy kangaroo and a pile of ticking dynamite. The kangaroo leapt again, and Crash prepared himself. Just as the kangaroo sailed toward him, Crash ducked, vanishing within the wavy waters. The water muffled the sound, and he wondered for a moment how long it would take for the explosives to go off. He needn't have worried about it. Crash whirled through the water as a blast of bubbles shot around him. He felt himself collide with jagged rock, and swallowed to bear the instant ache. Soon, things settled, and Crash rose shakily to his feet. He was prepared to continue fighting, but his opponent was gone. So were the explosives. Crash scratched his head in wonder. Deciding he didn't want to probe too much lest he see some body parts, Crash faced the waterfall and continued contemplating on how he was going to climb it.


	8. Chapter 6: The Lost City

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Six – The Lost City**

Crash was still lost in thought as he noticed a small difference in his surroundings. There was a large gap blown out of some of the rock, exposing a hollow cave behind the cascading water. Crash started forward, and took a peak. It was a cave alright, and the gap was just large enough for him to fit through without being crushed by water.

"Well, what have we here?" Crash grinned faintly, and stepped through.

At first, there was only darkness. The waterfall noise was deafening, so Crash vowed to get out of there as quickly as possible. He started trotting, hands over his ears as he grimaced.

"My ears are bleeding!" He couldn't hear his voice, but he wasn't much bothered by the fact.

Surprisingly, as he continued walking, the cave was starting to brighten. Crash took his hands off his ears and reached for the wall. He was determined not to walk into anything unexpected, so he believed that following the wall would be the best way to ensure that. Unfortunately, the rock was gone. In its place there were high reeds and grass. This made Crash cock his head in wonder. He didn't stop moving, and eventually he was moving vines and massive leaves out of the way. Suddenly, he could see the sky. He pushed past the last of the big green leaves, and grinned at what he saw.

"Wow, would you look at that."

It was a city, completely ancient, but looked nothing like the capsized structures of N. Sanity. From what Crash could see, it was pretty much uninhabited, save for a few giant lizards skulking about. The waterfall had born some discreet cracks in the cliff face, causing a small flood of water buildup across the ground. Now, although the structures were lovely, the entire place was nothing more then an over furnished swamp. Crash wasn't really in the mood to get his shoes wet again, and so he decided on using the half-submerged platforms and pillars as bridges.

"Well, I have no idea where the heck I am. Mission number 1: Get some directions."

Although there was no one around to hear him, Crash liked to hear the sound of his voice, especially when the surrounding was so silent. He took a running leap and landed on a stone-carved platform, and pictured the path that was the most apt to take. He needed to get high, at least high enough to see where he needed to go. It would be an awful shame if he was going in the completely opposite direction. Regardless, he would find his way soon enough.

As he continued scaling the ruins, he began to think how he was planning to get into Cortex's castle. Obviously it would be guarded. Would he just waltz right through and hope that no one would notice an anthropoid bandicoot and ask questions? Crash grinned to himself. That would be funny; maybe he should do it just for fun. Yet his thoughts grew more somber when he thought of Tawna, all alone and probably worried sick. Crash sighed. She was a nice kid, but frankly he was nervous at what would happen when he got her out. Would she be content just lazing around, like his dream entailed? Whatever. Crash wasn't really in the mood to think of things so far in advance. He focused bitterly on the task of climbing, hand hold after hand hold…

Suddenly, one of the stone juts sucked back into the wall. Crash yelped as he started sliding down the wall, scrambling around for something else to grasp on to. He caught another jut, just in time for it to start pulling back into a concealed place. Crash used it to push himself upward, and reached out just in time to grasp another protruding stone. They were all moving, shifting forward and then retracting. Crash grit his teeth with a sour grin. No more lollygagging, it was time to move. His arms and legs moved so fast it was a wonder his mind could command them. He was relying on instinct alone, and when you happen to be Crash Bandicoot, instinct isn't an easy thing to come by. Faster and faster Crash zipped up the stone wall, hoping that as he reached for a hand hold it hadn't disappeared. Now he could see the top, and it was coming up fast. Crash smirked. He was almost there. It would have made his quick ascension all the more impressive if he had made it to the top without further interruption. Unfortunately, he missed the last hold and now was dangling pathetically with his fingertips just holding the top of the wall. He swung there for a while, and then exhaled with disappointment.

"Of course, in all effort to look cool the great Crash Bandicoot trips just before crossing the finish line and goes sprawling like a dope."

His negative attitude spent, Crash hoisted himself over the top of the wall and lay on the higher platform, conserving what energy he had left. The sun was high in the sky, and Crash rested his forearm over his eyes to shield them from the bright rays. He would have liked nothing more then to lie there all day, soaking up the sun. Alas, he had a job to do. Grudgingly, he got to his feet and stretched a knot in his back. Moaning slightly as he started to walk again, he shook off his fatigue and looked up. He gasped at what he saw. He was quite high now, obviously not registering his elevation as he dashed up the wall. He must have been at one of the highest spots on the island, because he could see just about everything. Below him was a valley of ruins, no doubt the heart of the abandoned city, and it was surrounded by large jungle trees and bamboo shafts. Past these, there were massive mountains that scraped at the sky, and they too were covered in thick green vegetation. Crash soon realized how much larger this island was compared to the one he left, and he was stuck by a sense of awe combined with lamentation. Although it was beautiful, he would now have to cross this vast land within the day, or he would never get to Tawna before those slimy scientists did something horrible. He had no idea how he would manage it, and for the first time since he arrived on the island he wished Aku Aku was with him. At least the old mask knew the terrain better then he did.

Crash shrugged, and took a deep breath of elevated air that made his head spin. Then he began to walk, thinking hard about what he was planning to do, and how the hell he was going to do it.


	9. Interlude Two: Tawna

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Interlude – Tawna**

Tawna gazed out the window once again, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Although the day was beautiful, Tawna couldn't truly appreciate it locked away in a cell. Her wrist was bandaged from where a syringe punctured her vein, and it still felt numb. She combed her hair with her fingers, and forced herself to believe that Crash was still out there, alive, and coming for her. Yet there was no way he would be able to scale the fortress in time. Cortex had already outlined his plan to her. He was going to transport his Vortex and his few remaining creations and take off in his blimp. Tawna briefly wondered why he would be in such a hurry. He could not possibly be afraid of the thought of Crash coming for him. Could he?

Tawna was contemplating this when she heard a dull metallic clang. She whirled around, afraid that the lab assistances were again coming for her. Yet she was surprised to see someone entirely different. He was tall, and looked very dashing in a pinstripe suit. The strange part about him was that he looked a lot like a rat. He had rounded ears and a pointed snout, and a smile that chilled her to the bone. Tawna stayed where she was, feeling more then a little uneasy. The man leaned against the bars.

"Hey honey, how are you keeping?"

Tawna was instantly annoyed, and shot him an acidic look. "Why don't you venture a guess?"

The rat man ran a hand over his slick black hair. "Whoa, a little hostile. What's your name beautiful?"

Tawna's irritated gaze turned skeptical. "Tawna."

"Nice, and pleased to meet you. My name is Pinstripe, Pinstripe Potoroo, at your service until the end."

Pinstripe bowed low, although Tawna suspected half of his civility was just for the sake of humor. Tawna crossed her arms.

"So, what do you want?"

Pinstripe's smile disappeared. "Look, I came here because you've been alone for awhile, okay? I wanted to give you some company."

Tawna scoffed and turned back to the window. Immediately, she heard the sound of the cage opening. She turned back, wide eyed, and prepared to leap through the open door. Yet Pinstripe closed it too quickly, and stood before it with a kind smile on his face. He sauntered over to her, and there was nothing she could do but stand there dumbly. He reached for her hand, and gently kissed her fingertips.

"I hope you can find it in your heart to trust me Tawna. I am very regretful about what is going on here, but I can't go against Cortex's orders, not now at least. Wait a bit, and I promise I'll come for you."

Tawna blinked, and thought of Crash's words. Could he really come back, or was she just hoping for the very best? Perhaps Pinstripe was her only way out of this. Despite this illuminating thought, she lowered her head.

"Thank you Pinstripe, but I'm waiting for someone."

Pinstripe gaped at her. "Who? Not that bandicoot. If he survived the fall he defiantly couldn't live through the dangers of the jungle. He's long gone honey, I'm your only way out of here."

Pinstripe's words stung, but Tawna couldn't help but believe them. Crash couldn't have survived, and what if she was waiting for nothing? She felt a hollow dread creep into her chest, and tears began to trickle from her blue eyes. Pinstripe wrapped his arms around her, and to her surprise her reserve evaporated, and she collapsed into his embrace, sobbing.


	10. Chapter 7: The High Road

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Seven – The High Road**

"This must be a joke."

Unfortunately for Crash, it wasn't. He was standing at the foot of a long bridge, and below it laid absolute nothingness until about four miles down. The mist billowed gracefully within the wide chasm, but its tranquility did little to calm Crash's racing nerves. Crash grimaced. The other side of the bridge seemed ages away, and by the construction of the connection Crash guessed it hadn't had its stability tested in a while. The heat of the sun was not as scorching as it had been before. Crash presumed evening was approaching fast. He sighed, and took his first step.

The first few strides were fine; in fact, Crash found he was getting cocky as he picked up his pace. Then he heard the sound of wood cracking. He stopped dead, and remained so until he was sure the noise was gone. He was struck with adrenaline as he held his breath and continued his walk. This time he was much more careful. As he moved farther toward the middle of the bridge, the wind was beginning to blow surprisingly hard. Crash took bracing steps, grasping onto the rope railing for support. Continuing on, he saw a sight that made him groan. Now that he had reached the half-way point, a few of the planks were missing, probably rotted. Crash swallowed, and continued walking with careful steps. He reached with his toe and tested the stability of a meager looking plank, and held his breath when he stepped on it. It didn't crack, thank goodness. Crash took another step, this time his tests were a little quicker. Soon he was walking casually over the gabs, impatience taking hold of him.

"Hah hah, not even the monstrous rickety bridge can deter Crash-"

He interrupted himself with a load shout of surprise as a piece of wood crumbled under his step. He felt himself slipping through the gap, and it was only by reflex that he thought to reach up and grasp the rope. Hanging for a moment, deciphering what had happened, Crash coughed out a shaky breath.

"Note to self: save boastful comments for after bridge has been crossed."

Crash hoisted himself back onto the bridge, and caught his breath as his grip remained firmly clasped around the rope. He gathered himself again, and looked out toward his goal. The other cliff was less than thirty steps away, he was sure he could make it if he took his time. As Crash stepped again he thought he could hear something. It was a very faint noise, and his left ear twitched as he strained to hear it. Then, he felt a soft vibration on the bridge beneath him, and the whole thing began to sway. The noise was getting louder, and the swaying was getting jerkier. Crash continued to listen, and suddenly he had a theory.

_Laughing…?_

Crash turned around, and his jaw dropped. "Holy shit."

Approaching at an alarming rate from the other side of the bridge, the demented kangaroo Crash had blown up was hopping toward him. Its crazy eyes were bright and frightful, and it was laughing manically. Crash was wondering what was more frightening: hearing that horrible laugh echo through the chasm, or the realization that the closer the kangaroo became the more the weak bridge shuttered. Crash decided on something quickly, despite the risk. He bolted. The corrosion of the planks didn't bother him so much any more as his feet clapped over them. He had to get off this thing before…

Too late.

Crash felt the bridge drop beneath his feet, and he hovered comically in midair for a moment. Impossible for such floating to last, he plunged through the air, still confused at what happened. He didn't look behind him, but he could still hear laughing. Crash was sailing past a rope that was snaking through the air, and seeing it as a literal lifeline he snatched it. His hands slid down the rope, but he was still falling. The rope had yet to drop, and so Crash wrapped it around his wrist tightly. A second later the rope stopped suddenly, and Crash felt a wet snap in his wrist. He cursed a curse none to pleasant as he unraveled his limb and flexed it. As he worked with the twinge in his wrist, he turned his attention to the broken bridge. The laughing had grown fainter as the kangaroo faded into the mist, and finally, it disappeared altogether. Crash felt a shiver dance up his spine as he dangled there, still nursing his sore arm. If that kangaroo could survive an explosion, it could probably live through a thousand foot drop. Crash decided he would have to keep his eye out. The last thing he wanted was for that creepy thing to surprise him again.

That particular warning noted, Crash wondered what he was going to do now. He was hanging quite far from the top of the cliff, and he wasn't all that confident that the rope would hold out for long. Well, he guessed he would have to climb. Yet as Crash looked up he felt like releasing the rope and plummeting to his death. At least it would be less work than climbing a distance that looked higher than the sky. Crash could barely make out the top, and that dejected him.

He scanned the cliff, desperately hoping for something that could get him out of this predicament. At first, he didn't see a thing. Then, yes! There was an opening in the cliff wall a little lower from where he hung precariously. Crash used his good hand to slide down the rope, and stopped himself right before the hole. At first inspection, Crash had guessed the opening to be a cave, but he was quite wrong about that. From the decorative statues and stonework around the opening, Crash could see plainly that it was a tomb. Groaning, Crash considered the two unappealing ventures. Either climb up a very steep and very high cliff, or take a stroll through a dark, body-littered tomb. Crash decided on the lesser of two evils as he swung into the tomb opening. At least he would get to stroll.


	11. Chapter 8: Temple Crypts

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Eight: Temple Crypts**

Maybe strolling wasn't the best idea. As soon as Crash entered the eerie catacombs of the cave, he wished that he was back out in the sunlight, hanging inconclusively on the old rope. The whole place smelt of mold and mildew, and Crash had to space out his breaths until he got used to the smell. He had used the light from outside to guide him for awhile, but soon the natural illumination was all but gone. Thankfully, the walls were bordered with sporadic torches, and strangely enough they each held their own flame. Crash wrinkled his nose. How could the fire have sustained itself in this damp place? Not in the mood to get scientific, Crash welcomed the dim light, but the creepy shadows they cast across the floor were beginning to get to him. As Crash walked, he felt a whish of wind blast him in the face. Yet he was sure there were no openings nearby to cause such a break. So then what…?

Crash fell to his stomach just as a spear shot out from its concealed spot in the wall. Crash swallowed, and watched the trap slowly retract back. For a second he just lay there on the floor, considering his options. The traps in this tomb were active, that was obvious, and so going on from here would probably be a treacherous endeavor. However, he wasn't sure he knew the way back to the opening of the crypt, and even if he did he still didn't want to do any climbing.

Crash decided to keep on trucking in his chosen direction. If there was one way out, there would surely be another. Crash crawled on his knees for a while, still unsure about standing up. Unfortunately, the jerks who set the traps took that into consideration. There was the same rush of wind, and Crash's eyes widened in awareness. Three spears flashed from different sides of the wall, aimed lower now. Crash leapt, and used his momentum to roll a bit and then rise to his feet. The traps stopped, and nothing else attacked at the moment. Crash considered whether to take it slow and concentrate, or just start running. If he chose the first option, he would be stuck in this crypt maybe for days. Tawna couldn't wait that long. Crash took a deep breath, and a spooky smile crossed his face.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

Crash flew through the dark halls, feeling jolts of excitement shoot through him as spears missed him by mere centimeters. His feet pounded the stone as he gathered speed, ricocheting off twists and turns within the labyrinth of passageways. Eventually, the spears stopped whistling though the air, but then as they did the rows of torches halted abruptly. Crash stopped, and skidded before he was motionless. He cocked his head, and then looked out toward the next passage. It was insanely dark, and Crash, who wasn't a bit afraid of the dark, was a little concerned. He exhaled sharply, and then lifted a torch from its holster on the wall.

The firelight did little to illuminate the darker-than-night hall, but it was better then walking blindly, Crash supposed. Each step was careful and considered, and he was prepared to dash if more spears started popping out of the walls. Unfortunately, he was focusing on the wrong aspect of the passage. He was so concerned about the walls that he totally forgot about the floor. He remembered it as it crumbled beneath him and he was sliding quickly to a doom he was unsure of. The implosion was so quick Crash didn't even have time to curse. The torch bounced out of his hand as he slid down an angled rock-like surface, and it was then that he found his voice. His profanity was lost among crashing rocks as he finally felt himself hit bottom. He lay there, sprawled out, for a moment. Adding more bruises to his already plentiful list, Crash sat up and rubbed his head.

"Ow. I don't get it. Am I bad luck or something, or does every surface holding me up just feel like collapsing when I walk on it?"

Crash reached for the torch, and was thankful it was still flickering. He coughed as the dust settled down around him, and he uselessly waved it out of his face. He was about to get up, but as he saw what was positioned directly before him he refrained from doing so. The dimness of the fire enveloped around a massive cobra, and it was glaring hard at the flabbergasted marsupial below it. Its head bobbed back and forth smoothly, but by the way its mouth opened slowly, exposing its jaws, Crash didn't believe the snake was content with just dancing around. Crash gulped. The snake hissed, low and long, and prepared to strike. Surprisingly, however, Crash was quicker. Just as it lunged, Crash lifted the torch, and the serpent was deterred for a moment, clutching the wooden shaft in its mouth. By the time it realized what had happened, Crash had already started running blindly through the darkness. His hands groped through the black passage, as he hoped he wouldn't fall into another hole. He was not so lucky.

He felt the metallic smell of blood fill his nose as he smashed into a wall. Subconsciously, he felt himself bounce off and hit the floor. His vision swirled as he fought to gain awareness. Yet he heard something in the distance that forced his mind to clear. There was a loud hissing sound, and it was getting louder by the second. Crash leapt to his feet, and felt around the wall he had banged into. There was no other hall out of there. He had run into a dead end, and not particularly at the best time. Crash could have cried, but there was no time for that. He felt around the edges of the stone, and soon he saw something that made him grin slightly. He could see a small shaft of light shining though the crack.

"Now that's what I want to see."

Crash wiped the blood from his nose and used his shoulder to bang into the wall again. His shoulder throbbed at the collision, but he rejoiced as he felt the rock move. As Crash delivered blow after blow to the wall, he wondered why he could not hear the hissing anymore. The snake probably gave up, but although that was a nice fantasy, Crash doubted it. And, regrettably, he was right yet again. What was one hiss rippled into an infinity of hisses, each growing very loud as they approached. Crash clenched his teeth and used all the weight he possessed to crash into the wall. Shards of stone rained upon him as the wall collapsed. Crash cried out in surprise as he fell on top of the stone slab, which had turned itself into a toboggan as it slid down rock and dirt. It slowed to a stop, and Crash dared to see where he was now.

Any farther, and Crash would have been melted-handsome on the sharp stones jutting throughout the cavern. There was a river of lava not a foot from where he lay. Crash jumped up to his knees, confused, but glad that he had shaken the snakes off his tail. At least the cave was bright, thanks to the pools of whirling magma. Crash perceived it was only his fine streak of luck that had brought him into the heart of a volcano. Nevertheless, he needed to find a way out.

Without even a scrap of notice, a boulder sailed past Crash's head so fast the latter didn't even have time to move. Crash's green eyes widened in surprise, and he shot a skeptical look toward the cause of the close headache. A very big, impossibly muscular anthropoid koala stood menacingly at the opposite bank of liquid fire. His face was pinched in anger.

"Hey, mate, if you don't mind me asking…what the hell?!" Crash's patience was really warring thin now, and he didn't want the added disturbance of having his head crushed with a boulder.

Unfortunately, the koala didn't see it his way.

"Me Kong." He bellowed in a jumbled accent. "You bad bandicoot, me smash you with rocks."

To emphasize his point, Koala Kong hefted another boulder and threw it with incredible force. Crash dodged, and winced as the rock exploded against the back of the cave. How the heck was he expecting to get out of this one? As Crash dipped and dove, he observed that the only way out of the cave was on the koala's side of the lava river. Yet the last thing Crash needed right now was to be pulverized by the brute strength of the unintelligible koala. The latter tossed another rock in his direction, and this time Crash had taken a smidge too long to get out of the way. The rock clipped his leg and Crash found himself slamming hard on his backside yet again. Koala Kong was about to finish him with a remarkably large and jagged piece of slate, but Crash was not in the mood to be squished to paste. He got to his feet, and did the only logical thing that came into his head. He started spinning. He subconsciously noticed that he plowed into the stationary rock that had clipped him, and only was half aware that it starting flying toward his enemy. He stopped his spin just in time to see the rock bounce of the Koala's head, the latter sporting a genuine look of surprise. First, Crash thought that was it, but he supposed he was wrong. Kong angled his eyes again in fury, and immediately afterward they rolled back and he collapsed, unconscious.

Crash used a convenient natural bridge of rock over the river so he didn't singe his fur, and made his way slowly over to the immobile koala. Crash made a quick check just for curiosities sake, and when he found out that Kong was perfectly fine save for a lump on his head, he hightailed it out of there. Crash was more thankful then he had ever been before. He had spent far too long underground and he longed for sunlight. When he walked out of the cave and into the glorious sun, he grinned crookedly. After a few minutes of his eyes adjusting to the sun, Crash was quite surprised that he could plainly see the third island, and Cortex Castle, from where he stood. He furrowed his brow. He made it across the entire island already? Wow, that was quite handy. Although Crash was flabbergasted, he didn't question his good fortune, especially as he took a glance farther to the left and could see the first island as plainly as the third. So he only made it through a corner of the island? Damn this place was big. Oh well, he had already been caught in a couple nasty spots for such a short distance, so he didn't much care right now.

Crash walked pleasantly until he was on the beach, and all that stood between him was a substantial amount of water. Crash scratched his head. Now, how was he going to get across? That was a very large and very frustrating predicament.

"Are you troubled, Crash?"

Crash leapt so high in the air, that when he fell back down on the sand, he felt a bruise. He had also squealed in an unmanly way, but Aku didn't seem to notice. Crash got to his feet again and his eyes turned angry.

"Well, long time no see. Where the heck were you?"

Aku looked very proud of himself. "I have managed to replenish N. Sanity Island. It was quite difficult, especially after your energetic excursion there."

Crash frowned. "So that's why you couldn't come and help me out, you jerk, I lost count how many times I almost bit it." Negative attitude short lived, Crash's frown disappeared. "Well then, are you going to give me a hand getting over this ocean? I still am A-okay with the idea of using you as a raft."

Aku didn't seem to understand jokes, because he was serious once again. "I apologize that I cannot assist you in that method Crash, but I do have another, more efficient way."

"Let's hear it."

Aku swayed slightly as he explained. "I have consulted with the ancient tablets of N. Sanity, and I have deciphered the source of power for teleportation. I can only make it work once, but you should reach the other island without delay."

Crash wrinkled his nose. "I should? That doesn't sound very confident, considering I'm going to be hovering over water. Can you teleportation or whatever me right into the castle?"

"No, but I may be able to drop you off right in front."

Crash considered, and realized that he should be wary about this mode of creepy transportation. Yet he also noticed the sun was setting, and from his original observation he could see a big ugly blimp anchored to the castle. That was incredibly suspicious. So Crash threw all previous caution to the wind, as usual.

"Well, that's good too." Crash spread his arms outward. "Alright, let me have it."

Aku Aku's yellow eyes brightened in concentration, and Crash felt the air swirl around him. It was going fast, and was gathering sand in a sort of whirling vortex. Crash coughed. Soon, the island and its surroundings faded away, and so did Aku Aku.

"You are very close to succession Crash Bandicoot, the best of luck in your final battle."

Crash didn't like the sound of "final battle", but he didn't voice it. Soon, everything went hazy and all Crash saw was golden dust. It swirled for a moment, and when it cleared, Crash found himself on the opposite beach of where he just was a second ago. He couldn't believe it at first, but when he turned around and saw a jumble of hideous buildings and broken down machinery, his mouth went slightly ajar.

"Oh." Was all he managed.


	12. Chapter 9: Toxic Waste

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Nine – Toxic Waste**

Brio cowered as Cortex knocked the materials on a desk and sent them flying across the room. The scientist's anger was apparent, in his manner and especially in his expression.

"I fail to derive the reason how that bandicoot can still be living!" Cortex bellowed, slamming his fists down on a metal slab.

Brio didn't dare to speak. The room was silent for a moment save for Cortex's heavy breathing.

"I had my doubts about Ripper Roo, but I was sure that bandicoot would not be able to get past Koala Kong." Cortex straightened up, composed once again. "We will just have to improve our tactics."

Silence prevailed again while Cortex pondered, and then suddenly he called out in a curt voice.

"Brio!"

Brio snapped to attention. "Y-y-yes sir?"

"You are absolutely certain he his now on this island?"

"Yes, without a d-doubt."

"Then am I correct in assuming he is probably somewhere in the factory?"

"Yes."

Cortex's gaze seemed to focus on something Brio couldn't see, and then suddenly the deranged doctor turned on his heel. Brio remained still as he marched past.

"Brio, contact the superiors in control of the factory, the generator room and the toxic waste facility. Double security."

"May I ask where you are going to d-d-do sir?"

"I need to secure my next mode of defense."

--

It truly was a shame what happened to the third island. What should have resembled the first two landmasses that Crash had trekked looked like a massive slime hole. Crash felt dwarfed in comparison to the daunting factory that towered above. It looked gross, and Crash was not looking forward to having to get through it. He blew out a long breath.

"Alright, the sooner you do it, the sooner it's done."

Crash wandered toward the door, and wondered how he was going to get in. He decided on just knocking, and maybe someone would be nice enough to just let him in. Maybe offer him refreshment, and although that was a nice thought, Crash knew it was wishful thinking. He reached out and was about to rap his knuckles on the iron door, when it hissed open on its own. Crash was surprised, and kept his hand raised in mid-action like a dope. Motion activated, wow, now that was something. Obviously Cortex wasn't too concerned about trespassers. Crash beamed as he entered the building, proud that the task was so easy. Yet as the door closed behind him, he nearly collapsed when a horrible smell rose into his nose. He hacked, and closed his hand over his nose, choking for air. What in the world could make such an atrocious smell? Crash discovered what it was in a moment. There were tubs in the floor, each one completely immersed in a bright green ooze. The slimy stuff was glowing, so Crash made a mental note not to fall in it. The smell was so bad that Crash was unsure he would be able to keep his consciousness; nevertheless he continued forward, one shaky step after another. It took a long time, but Crash's nose finally started to adjust. As Crash kept up an easy pace, he blinked back tears that had formed in his eyes. The toxins rising up out of the slime was torturous, but Crash continued onward at a steady rate.

He thought he heard the whirring of machinery, but he wasn't positive. Then he considered last time he heard something, and decided to finally be the one to make the first move. As he turned the corner, he jumped high in the air, just as a sharp-edged machine shot toward him. He drove both feet into its mechanical head and felt quite satisfied when he felt the crunch of cheap metal collapse. Now the whirring was gone, and Crash had to admit that he felt better. Yet as he stepped cautiously around the puddles of ooze he really was hoping he would be out of that place soon.

One thing Crash noticed right away, besides the slime, was that the entire place was filthy. The walls were all ripped and rusted, and the floor, which probably had started out as tile, had been eaten away. Crash was convinced that there were mutant sludge people residing inside that plant, and he wanted out before he had to meet any of them.

--

Pinstripe rolled up his sleeves as he leaned back in the mobile chair in Cortex's private office. The scientist had requested an audience, and Pinstripe, being under his employment, obeyed directly. As Pinstripe waited, a disturbing sneer curled his lips. That female bandicoot, Tawna, was quite a pretty thing indeed. True, after being evolved from a furry omnivore into an anthropoid grunt, Pinstripe hadn't seen any good looking figures. He could still smell her, from when she collapsed into him, crying about something unknown to Pinstripe. One thing he promised, he would make that girl fall in love with him. That, in Pinstripe's mind, was going to be a piece of cake. The door flew open, and Pinstripe leaned forward sporting a crooked grin.

"Hey boss, how goes it?"

Cortex did not look very happy, yet his mood didn't affect Pinstripe, unless his mood deterred him from paying. Cortex grimaced.

"Pinstripe, I have a job for you."

Pinstripe slowly placed his legs up on the desk, crossing them. He smiled deviously. "Yeah? What's the job?"

"Execution."

"Right then. And who's the mark?"

Cortex narrowed his eyes.

"That bandicoot is still alive, and he's on this island. I want him destroyed."

Pinstripe felt his brow furrow. That bandicoot was the one Tawna was talking about, and if he was on the island, he was obviously coming to rescue her. Very noble indeed. Pinstripe would have dismembered that bandicoot pest free of charge, but Cortex needn't know that. Pinstripe leaned forward, eyes dangerous but the smile still plastered on his face.

"Boss, consider it done."

--

Crash was beginning to think that going around the plant instead of through it might have been a better idea. He should remember not to just go through any old door because it's there. That leads to disgusting odors and nauseous stomachs. He had picked up his pace, mostly because he wanted to get out of that place as fast as possible. It was relatively quiet, save for the curdling of green ooze below him. Yet, Crash discovered that there was always something to break the silence. In this case, it was alarm that had began to trill like a screaming wail.

Crash shrieked at the noise and reflexively began to sprint. Red slights were flashing on the wall above him, and Crash sub-consciously hoped it was a fire drill.

"INTRUDER ALERT, ALL STATIONS PREPARE DEFENSIVE ACTION!"

Crash winced. That kyboshed his optimistic idea. If he was going to make it out in one piece, he had to find a way to the main castle, and get out of this toxic waste plant. To his dismay, the hallway had now completely disappeared, and the only way across pools of ooze was on a metal rack walkway. Crash leapt onto the grate, and cautiously moved forward at a slow and calculating pace.

Crash could just make out a clunking noise, and immediately he was ready for trouble. Yet when he saw a metal barrel roll toward him, he was quite perplexed. He managed to jump over the corrosive barrel, but still had a look of confusion on his face. Where did that come from? Crash noticed another barrel was rolling down the narrow walkway, and he jumped over that one as well. What was going on here? Sick of keeping out of the way of barrels that would explode if he collided with them, Crash started running down the grated catwalk. He needed to jump over another two barrels before reaching the source of the problem.

A big, fat guy who looked a lot like a rat was hefting and throwing these barrels. When he saw Crash, he stopped and grinned menacingly.

"So you're the scruffy rodent who's causing all the trouble. I was told to block off this passage and I didn't think I'd actually see you."

Crash was a little miffed about being called a rodent by a rat, but he didn't mention that. "Well, glad to oblige fella. Now, can you just point me in the direction of the castle?"

The rat looked genuinely surprised. Then he bellowed a thundering laugh. "Sure, I'll show you to the castle. In fact, I'll take it a step further. I'll personally deliver you back to Cortex and receive the reward on your head."

Crash smiled without any trace of humor. "No can do pal, I'm not interested in seeing that guy again unless he was planning to present me with a written apology and a sizable compensation."

The rat laughed again, and then lifted the barrel in his hands. "Tell you what, first I'll blow you up and then I'll gather the pieces to send back to Cortex. How does that sound?"

Crash had a sarcastic answer ready, but didn't have time to say it. He nearly tripped over the barrel as it rolled underneath him, and then immediately had to jump again to avoid touching the next. He was going to have to do something quickly to get out of this lethal path. Crash leapt over the next barrel, and then used his momentum to dive through the air. His feet collided with something hard, and he heard a grunt of lost breath. Crash landed on his back, and had to dodge out of the way as the rat threw his fist downward. Quickly getting to his feet Crash dipped around the large brutish rat, and avoided his punches. Yet Crash was still unsure of the stability of his surroundings, and accidentally stepped into a busted grate that caught his shoe. Now he was stuck, and the rat was lunging for him.

Crash knew he was in trouble. His fighting style depended on agility and speed, and now that his maneuverability was stunted, he couldn't really think up his next move. Crash ducked the first slow swing, but his eyes widened in obvious surprise as the galoot's other hand came up from underneath.

Stars sparkled throughout Crash's vision, and he found himself souring through the air only to land flat on his back. He lay there, dazed for a moment, and still was attempting to gather his senses when he noticed the brute standing triumphantly above him. Crash smiled with a wince.

"Touché."

The rat wrapped his hands around Crash's neck and roughly shoved him against the wall. Crash felt uncomfortable having his feet dangling a good three feet from the ground.

"I say, we call it a draw and part ways with a friendly handshake." Crash ventured, offering a lopsided grin.

The rat wasn't nearly as gracious. "I say, I mash you to pulp and take you back to Pinstripe in a barrel."

Crash silently noted that this was the second mention of Pinstripe. Was it some guy, or a striped suit this big rat was obsessed about? Whoever or whatever he was, Crash wasn't interested at present. He needed to get out of the spot he was in, quickly. Cortex must know about his presence on the third island, and so there was no doubt he would border his gates with his most unsavory henchmen. First things first, Crash had to deal with this joker. The mobster sneered, and Crash was disgusted by his yellow and crooked teeth. He brought his massive fist back to gather power, and Crash glanced low. He found the answer to his problem.

"So, that ooze is toxic, hmm?" The rat paused for a moment. Crash gave him a pondering look before continuing. "Well, I'm glad I'm up here."

The rat tightened his grip, and Crash hacked, but the faint smile was still present on his face.

"Why?" The rat snarled.

Crash shrugged, which was difficult but manageable. "It looks to me as though there's a small spill, and it's rushing toward your feet. Quite a bit too, moves kind of slow. Tell me, if it reaches your feet will they melt to stumps? I think that may be slightly uncomfortable."

Crash didn't need to say more. The rat looked down to reinforce his certainty, and Crash took that opportunity to bring his knee up hard into his face. The brute abandoned his hold to reach for his nose, and Crash dropped lightly to the ground.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear mate."

The rat charged, and Crash sidestepped and thought to himself as the dope smashed into the wall.

"And only half of what you see." He finished as the rat came at him again.

Now they both stood an arms length from one another, and blood was pouring out Crash's adversary's nose. Crash smirked and shrugged.

"My offer for the handshake still stands."

The rat's eyes almost exploded with rage. "I'm going to KILL YOU!!"

Just as the rat stepped toward him, murder in his eyes, Crash smiled sweetly. The next moment the brute was rolling on the ground, hands holding his groin as he moaned in anguish. Crash bounced on one leg as he rubbed his kicking foot. Shaking his head, Crash continued walking down the walkway.

"Sorry fella, nothing personal."


	13. Interlude Three: Tawna

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Interlude - Tawna**

This was the third time Pinstripe came to visit her, and every time he did he could sense a bit of Tawna's shyness melt away. He stood there in the dank cell, holding her in a comforting embrace. He was stroking her hair delicately, and Tawna seemed to appreciate the gentle contact. If she had known what was really whirling through Pinstripe's mind she would probably snap away from him in disgust. Or maybe she would enjoy it, Pinstripe had no way of knowing as of now. He still needed to get to know her. Yet after he disposed of that meddlesome bandicoot she would be all his. Pinstripe was contemplating pulling her a little closer, to better bask in her warmth, yet before he decided he heard a trilling beep. Tawna didn't react as he lifted his pager from his belt and glanced at it. He was not surprised when he read it.

AXE FAILED TO STOP THE BANDICOOT.

Pinstripe replaced his beeper and gave Tawna a tight squeeze.

"I have something I need to do Tawna, so I gotta go."

Tawna lifted her chin from his shoulder to look at him.

"What?"

"Just a little errand, that's all." Pinstripe grinned warmly. "I'll be back to see you again when I'm done."

Pinstripe leaned down to kiss her, and was surprised when she turned away. A small flare of irritation blossomed in his chest, but he calmed himself instantly.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Tawna was staring out the window, and the expression on her face was mournful, again.

"Pinstripe, you are being very kind, and I really appreciate it. Um, I have one question." Her eyes met his, and Pinstripe realized how heavily her heart depended on his answer. "Are you sure that Crash is…well, do you know if he's still alive?"

Pinstripe lowered his gaze, pretending to be regretful at the question. Inside he was boiling with jealousy. So she still cared for that short little creep over him. Well, if he had to shatter her weak heart to suit his own need, then so be it.

"Tawna, I thought we discussed this already. I'm so sorry, but he didn't even survive the first island. We have evidence to prove it."

Tawna gasped pathetically and shrank back to the window. They stood there in silence for a moment, and Pinstripe could tell by the way her shoulders shook that she was weeping. Pinstripe took her carefully by her shoulders and turned her around to face him. Her cheeks were wet with tears. Pinstripe lifted her chin so she was looking at him

"Tawna, the best thing for you to do right now is forget about him. I am going to help you."

Tawna blinked, and when Pinstripe leaned in and kissed her this time, she didn't recoil. Pinstripe would have loved to sit there all day and see where this led, but time was dire. He needed to make his words credible, and that meant he needed to take care of that bandicoot.

"I'll be back, alright? Now just stay here and be good until I come back."

Pinstripe kissed her again, and then left her cell. She had sunk to her knees, but Pinstripe didn't turn around. He didn't care about how she felt, really, but she sure was beautiful. After this was all over he had some very specific plans for the two of them. Pinstripe's shiny shoes clapped at the ground as he passed a gun rack and lifted an automatic rifle, testing its weight. Satisfied, he slung it over his shoulder and continued down the hall. In his mind he was imagining how many bullet holes it took to kill a bandicoot.


	14. Chapter 10: Unsavory Characters

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Ten – Unsavory Characters**

Crash decided he was doomed to walk these deteriorating halls forever. He was unable to find a way out of the toxic waste plant, and his inability to do so was starting to frustrate him. It wouldn't be so bad, but he really needed to get some fresh air before he mutated. Well, mutated in a slimy, sludge way. He was about to resort to kicking a rotting wall in hopes of escape, but decided he would try that method after peeking into the next hall. As he rounded the corner, he saw another long hall, and thankfully this one was not covered in slime. There was also a square shaft of light lying on the floor not to many steps away, and with lack of a different approach, Crash decided to walk toward it.

A door was open, and Crash glanced inside and hoped it was not another waste room. Well, it wasn't, but the decorum inside this room made Crash shiver. He took a tentative step inside. The room was furnished in expensive-looking carpet and nice plush sofas. Their quality wasn't very good, and Crash would only take a nap on one of those chairs if he was desperate. There was also a massive picture of Dr. Cortex plastered on the wall beside him. It was so big and so ugly that Crash hacked. Directly before him stood a desk, and behind that was a giant whirling thing. Crash suspected this was some kind of power generator, but he didn't know much about such things. He was about to turn on his heel and leave since there was obviously nothing of interest there, but he stopped when he heard a voice.

"Leaving so soon?"

A big red chair that had been facing the generator slowly swiveled around. Crash groaned. How many jerks did he have to run into today? The creature sitting on the chair was a rat, and by the look of his slicked back hair and cheap suit he looked like a genuine gangster. Unlike the other rat Crash had fought, this one was quite thin and was quite a bit more attractive, at least for a rat. Crash noticed he was also holding a tommy gun, and his finger was on the trigger. Crash folded his arms before him and smirked.

"Yeah, I'm leaving. Is there any particular reason why I should stay?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, which was slightly uncharacteristic. Yet he hadn't eaten anything for a while and he needed a nap. Therefore he was exceptionally grumpy.

"I just wanted us to get a little better acquainted." The rat said, and gently placed his gun on the desk. "I've heard quite a bit about you Crash Bandicoot. My name is Pinstripe Potoroo."

Crash cocked his head with a sly smile. So this guy was the Pinstripe he was hearing about.

"Well, I guess we're acquainted then. I'm outta here."

Crash must have been crazy to turn his back on a guy with a gun, yet he figured if he was going to get shot, it wouldn't matter if was in the back or the face. At least this way he was on his way out.

"Hold it."

Crash stopped for a second, but didn't turn around.

"You know Tawna, yes?"

Crash turned around slowly, his eyes unreadable and a cold smile on his face.

"Who?"

Pinstripe grinned wickedly. "There's no need to lie about it, she already told me all about you. In case you have forgotten, she is a tall blonde knockout with terrific legs and nice…"

"Alright already, that's enough." Crash interrupted with a sigh. "Sure, I know her, what do you care?"

Pinstripe leaned forward. "Well, you see, I told her you were dead. If you show up now I'll be branded as a liar. We can't have that."

Crash laughed. "Then maybe you shouldn't count your chickens before their hatched."

Pinstripe seemed to be getting annoyed with Crash's flamboyant behavior. "I'm sorry it has to be this way Bandicoot, and unfortunately I don't have time to fight a pipsqueak like you man to man. I've got a girl waiting for me."

Crash didn't bother asking who. The answer was obvious. Still Crash was surprised he didn't feel very jealous at the prospect. After all, he had been trekking these treacherous islands for her sake. Oh well, he could worry about that if he survived the next five minutes. Pinstripe lifted his machine gun and pointed it in Crash's direction. Crash dove out of the way as bullets rang through the air, and he took refuge behind a couch. The noise was defending, and Crash covered his ears as he felt the chair vibrate. He was very lucky that the couch was so thick, or he'd have been Swiss cheese in a second. Pinstripe was laughing as he fired his machine gun, obviously having more fun than Crash at the moment.

Crash glanced around for anything that might give him an edge, and then grinned faintly and reached for a potted plant and dragged it over. He gently pulled the plant out of the pot, and noted how much dirt grasped onto the roots. He wrapped one had around the plant, and the other he grasped around the pot. Now he waited for the gap of time it would take Pinstripe to reload.

"Come on Bandicoot, come out and play!" Pinstripe howled in morbid excitement.

Crash rolled his eyes. "How 'bout you quit squeezing rounds off at me and we'll have a nice chat?"

"I'm for that. Come out here and we'll talk."

Crash waited for one moment, and then Pinstripe's gun failed and the latter hissed a curse.

"Alright." Crash answered with a grin.

Swinging his arm in a sweeping arc, pieces of dirt from the plant showered Pinstripe, and he covered his eyes with a very crude curse. Crash let the plant go and followed the attack by throwing the big pot in the rat's direction. Bulls-eye! Just as the pot bounced off Pinstripe's head Crash vaulted over the couch toward his adversary. Crash took the gun in both hands, but Pinstripe's grip was like iron. When the gangster finally cleared his vision and faced Crash with a murderous look, Crash grimaced at the blood running down the other's face.

"Whoa mate, that's one nasty bruise you got there."

Pinstripe's eyes were deadly as he gnashed his teeth.

"You are not getting out of here alive Bandicoot."

Crash grunted at Pinstripe's strength, and undesirably found himself pressed into the desk. The gun was horizontal across his chest, and as Pinstripe put pressure on it Crash felt another bruise beginning to form. He didn't mind though. He had so many already, so what was one more? Pinstripe knew he had the upper hand, and so his creepy mouth curled into a wicked sneer. The rat backed away, and reloaded his gun with a loud click. Crash leaned on the desk, rubbing his chest as he kept his eyes glued to the gun now pointed in his direction.

"Any last words Bandicoot?"

Crash sighed. Why would he ask for last words, even if did he even care? It was just silly, so Crash shrugged.

"Nope."

In the next instant, Crash had begun to spin all around the room in a quick whirligig of motion. He couldn't see where he was going, so he just smashed into whatever got in his way. Pinstripe began to shoot, but Crash felt only the slight wind of bullets as they shot past him. The room was small, and Crash knew he could only keep it up for a little while. Best to end the fight as quickly as possible. Crash angled his spin to where he thought Pinstripe was, and blindly used his momentum to throw a nice roundhouse punch at the figure. Thankfully, the figure was Pinstripe and Crash's closed fist connected with his chin. Pinstripe flew backward, still shooting, and the stray bullets burred themselves into the power generator behind them. Pinstripe landed flat on his back, but he was not through yet. He brought up his gun and pointed it level with Crash's face. Crash, not appreciating this, kicked the rifle out of Pinstripe's hands and caught it before it spun away. Now Crash had the upper hand, nozzle pointed down at Pinstripe. The latter's eyes were wide with shock, but not fear. He was just flabbergasted at the situation. Of course, Pinstripe had no idea how Crash was planning to use the gun in his possession. Crash had things to do, so he didn't dally.

"Sorry bud, I'd stay longer and see where this leads, but as you said, I've got a girl waiting."

Crash flipped the gun around and slammed the butt end of the shaft across Pinstripe's face. The latter lay there, unmoving, but Crash knew that when he woke up he would just have a little headache. Taking a look at the generator, Crash tutted. The generator had been busted up by Pinstripe's inaccuracy, and had completely shut down. Crash guessed that meant the toxic waste plant would be less then efficient without a power source, but he really didn't care one way or the other.

Crash tossed the gun into a tub of toxic sludge and left the room. He was not looking forward to any more long walks inside the facility, but as he kept trudging forward, he felt like weeping in joyous ecstasy. Written on the wall in bold letters displayed the word "EXIT", and a massive arrow pointing in the proper direction. Crash smiled, and followed the arrow in utter thankfulness.


	15. Chapter 11: The Slippery Climb

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Eleven – The Slippery Climb**

Just as Crash burst out of the smelly factory, expecting to embrace warm sunny air, he was instantly soaked by the sheets of rain that were dousing the sky. Crash stood there with his arms still raised in surprise. Yet, he soon closed his eyes and smiled, feeling refreshed as the cool water pattered lightly on his fur. He was off again in no time at all, excited with how close he was to the castle. Yet as the fog began to clear, his excitement dwindled. The castle was massive. Much bigger then Crash had originally thought, although he should have known right from the start. When a structure was visible more than a hundred miles away, it was bound to be big.

Crash blinked back the rain as he stared upward, wondering how he was ever going to scale this massive fortress. Yet he knew by now that the best approach to getting something accomplished was just to get started. The details would eventually fall into place. Crash's only knowledge at this instance was that he needed to go up. So up he would go.

Crash smirked, and grasped the first slippery overhang. He realized this was going to be tricky, but there wasn't many options open right now, so he lunged for another. He caught the jut in the wall, and continued his pattern for as long as the protruding metal allowed. Crash was quite thankful for his fingerless leather gloves for not the first time on his trip. He wasn't sure how he had come to acquire the useful items, but he was glad just the same. The leather allowed him to actually hold onto the slippery metal without sliding down the tower, since in such an instance his claws were useless. Crash half-expected himself to slip at any moment, considering such a complication had occurred in all other previous climbs. Yet, surprisingly enough, he had reached a nice sturdy platform without incident. Crash sat there for a moment, catching his breath and shaking his fur, and then he saw how far he had come. He found himself scurrying from the edge just to cope with the height. It wasn't just the distance he had climbed, but the distance from the water level. Crash gulped.

"How the heck could I have fallen from the tower into that? I'd be mush!"

Crash decided not to dwell on it, and took a look around the platform for any help to solving his climbing problem. There was a water duct just a little ways from where he sat, so he decided to investigate. Not worrying about soaking his feet since they were already as wet as they could be, Crash leapt into the wide tunnel. Thick bars closed off any hope of entry, and as Crash rested his head on the bars he wondered what would compel Cortex to bar off a drain. In the back of his mind, Crash heard a little voice that told him: just in case any mutant bandicoots wanted to get in. Crash decided he was delirious from lack of nourishment, and although it was nice to be out of the rain for a moment, Crash really needed to get moving.

Continuing his wet task of reaching the top of the stone-and-iron fortress, Crash noticed that the sun was setting, and this illuminated the ocean with a pretty purple glow. Despite the ugliness of the island he was currently on, the other two were actually quite beautiful when he thought about it. Well, at least when he wasn't being chased, eaten, pulverized or punctured. Crash turned his attention back to his task, and narrowed his eyes through the rain to see how far he needed to go. He could hear thunder clap, and now sporadic flashes of bright lightning were beginning to throw off his concentration.

_Alrighty, I need to get off this metal lightning rod or I'm toast._

Crash's pace grew faster as the rain began to increase its strength, and he felt as though he was being pelted with tiny little pebbles. What was once a nice, leisurely tower-scaling jaunt in the rain, now turned into a race to get out of the showering needles before he was electrocuted. He still had no idea where he was going, and the top of the castle wasn't even in sight. Crash realized as he hung there, dripping wet and miserable, that things could not get worse. Then the wind decided to join the fray. Crash moaned as he started swinging from the overhang, caught in small bursts of air. He needed to get out of this storm, ASAP. Crash continued his climb, looking for anything that could help him. Unfortunately, nothing presented itself.

Suddenly, Crash found himself in the embrace of thin air. This had apparently occurred due to a huge gust of wind, and Crash didn't even notice that he let go of the wall. He somehow had time to wrinkle his nose in bafflement before he plummeted through the sky with a yelp. He flipped around in the darkening air as he reached his arms out for anything to grasp on to. Miraculously, Crash felt a cord slipping through his grip, and reflexively he tightened his hands. He found it very difficult to hold the slippery rubber, but eventually he reached the very bottom, and the plug at the base was very helpful. Pulled out of gravity, Crash spiraled back toward the castle and prepared for a very painful thump. What he got instead was the shattering of glass as he collided with a wide window. He let the cord go and tumbled over glass shards and carpet, and then just lay there motionless, staring at the ceiling.

"Now how I missed that window on my way up, I'll never know."

--

Cortex was pacing, quickly and with a slight bounce. By external observation he simply appeared calculative, pondering something. Yet no one could fully fathom the storm that raged within him. His anger was peaked, and although his posture suggested mere inconvenience, his eyes betrayed raw hatred. The bandicoot had managed to breach his factory, scale his castle and was now prowling around somewhere inside his domain. Cortex clenched his fist hard. Crash Bandicoot had to be defeated, now.

Cortex turned sharply to his comrade, standing tentatively at his side. Cortex sneered as he took a step toward Brio, and the latter trembled at the extent of his ferocity.

"Doctor, are you…?"

"Alright?" Cortex interjected, tone light and menacing. "What do you honestly think, Brio? Tell me, should I be alright with an unstable abomination at large in my castle?"

Brio shook his head dutifully.

"No. That is why I am taking my inventions with me into my dirigible, and getting out of here. I cannot have that bandicoot destroy anything else."

Brio appeared slightly concerned, and Cortex gave him a narrow look forcing him to explain himself.

"Doctor, what is to be d-done with your l-last creation?"

"The female bandicoot?" Cortex laughed. "Have her disposed of. There is no place for her in my plan for world domination."

Brio was hesitant about this. "If I may, d-d-doctor. Wouldn't it be better to t-t-take her along? Crash B-bandicoot is coming for her, so if you abduct her y-you may be able to negotiate."

Cortex shot him a skeptical look, and opened his mouth as if to make some curt reply. Yet he began to think about it, and decided that Brio was correct in such a tactic. It would be nice to have something to barter with just in case. Cortex grinned, and then turned back to Brio.

"I have a job for you, my friend."

Brio listened intently, excited to be of any service.

"I need some time to get my creations aboard before the Bandicoot charges in here. Would you be able to keep him busy for a while?"

Brio's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "And you are going to flee this castle without me?"

Cortex was very good at looking shocked, and did so now.

"No, of course not. I need time, that's all, and once you are finished the transport will wait for you."

"And then we w-w-will bring our inventions back t-t-to the academy, correct?"

Cortex wrinkled his brow. He had no intention of doing such a thing.

"There are other things we must see to first, Brio. Only then can we share our genius with the other scientists who scoffed us."

Brio appeared genuinely surprised. "I do not understand, w-what is left to d-do?"

Cortex's anger was rising, and he already knew that time was of the essence.

"Go Brio, stall the bandicoot. We don't have time to bicker."

Brio's countenance betrayed the first sign of disloyalty, but Cortex really didn't care. Brio was worthless, and the only decent act he had done was creating the Evolvo-Ray. Brio scurried out of the lab, and Cortex started toward the large machinery he prized. Brio would have to die eventually, that much was certain, just so he didn't blab when Cortex claimed the Evolvo-Ray for himself. Although Brio was meek enough Cortex could probably just keep him silent with a word. Yet he needed to play it safe. Cortex signaled for a troupe of lab assistants.

"I need these machines placed into the dirigible, and after you have completed that task, bring me the bandicoot female."


	16. Chapter 12: Lights Out

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Twelve – Lights Out**

There was no end to Crash's interesting ability for ending up fumbling in the dark. Apparently Cortex was so cheap he didn't want to waste funds on electricity. Crash had no idea where he was going, whether it was the right or wrong way or if there was a staircase up ahead. Yet half of him expected to fall head over heels anyway, so it was just a matter of time.

As he walked down what he guessed was a hall, he heard a small whirring sound. He was instantly reminded of the toxic plant, with machines buzzing around everywhere but this was a different kind of noise. It was a lot softer, and Crash didn't feel like running when he heard it. Cautiously, he followed the noise, and found himself up against a wall. He scratched his head. He could still hear it. He reached out, and his hands passed over the wall. He moved around, feeling for anything that could be making a noise, and grinned triumphantly when he felt a drawer. Despite the fact that he should have been suspicious, Crash yanked open the drawer and peered inside. A tiny ball of light danced out and flittered through the open air. Crash whistled.

"Well, look at that, my own mobile flashlight."

Crash could see if he squinted, the form of a little bug although it was obviously mechanical. So Cortex hadn't decided to save on electricity after all, he just didn't want to share the light with anyone. Typical. Crash really didn't know how to communicate with the piece of scrap, but he gave it a go.

"So, do you mind showing me around a little?"

The bug didn't speak, as was expected, but as Crash began to walk, the bug took its place just in front of him, lightening up the first five feet. Crash smirked, and followed the light bug down the hall. Now that the passage was a little brighter, Crash could tell that the place really was like a castle. It was furnished nicely, with a long red rug that stretched out farther than Crash could make out, and portraits of Cortex adorning the walls. Crash looked at one particularly ugly picture and sneered.

"Yuck."

Crash didn't know what would entice a repulsive guy to plaster his face all over the walls, but Crash just supposed that was because he didn't know evil scientists very well. Crash continued down the hallway, making sure that he kept his eyes focused forward instead of accidentally seeing another gross picture. He had come too far to throw up now.

Crash suddenly felt a chill dance up his spine. Something wasn't right, and although he felt this, he was really unsure of what it meant. Obviously, he needed to quicken his pace. As he did, the light bug sped up as well.

"Hey, little light bug? You don't by any chance know where the lab is, do you?"

Again, the bug didn't answer, and Crash couldn't find it in his heart to blame the contraption. He started to run, dashing down the halls and running through so many passages he had no idea where he was or where he should go. Finally, he saw a door. It was big and wooden, but it was the only door Crash had seen in a while so he decided to try his luck. He expected to have to plow into it, but, thankfully, it was unlocked. Crash stepped into a room, and stopped dead in his tracks. The light bug didn't come in, instead it waited in the hallway as Crash took a tentative step forward.

He was in a weird chamber with potions decorating the walls and a pretty wide window bordering a terrific sunset. Yet directly in front of the window, a small skinny human was rapidly mixing some liquid together. The little man spun around, and a look of surprise crossed his revolting features. Crash groaned. How many more ugly people did he have to associate with? Crash decided the silence had gone on long enough.

"Hey, whatcha making over there? Soda pop?" Crash giggled at his own cleverness, but the man didn't so much as blink.

"Are you Crash Bandicoot?" The fella inquired.

Crash wind-milled his arms to get the blood circulating to his innumerable bruises. "What's left of him. I've been walking all day long and I'm a little parched if you know what I mean. How's about you stir me up a nice wamba juice?"

The man was genuinely baffled. "These potions are poisonous."

Crash's smile dimmed. This guy was almost as oblivious as Aku Aku when it came to jokes. Oh well, Crash didn't really feel like entertaining anyway.

"My name is Nitrous Brio, and I am Cortex's assistant."

Crash wasn't interested who this guy was, but he found himself feeling a chuckle coming on at hearing the strange name. Well, he supposed 'Crash' wasn't in the top ten for best names either, so he kept quiet. "That's nice, so, can you point me in the direction of the laboratory, I'm a little lost."

The man looked a little down as he mixed his potions vigorously.

"I'm sorry Mr. Bandicoot, but I can't let you through."

Crash yawned and gave his arm another quick stretch. "I figured as much. Okay, what do I have to do to get out of the scrape this time?"

Brio watched a potion bubble in the beaker, and then looked up, his face kind of sad. "I am sorry Crash Bandicoot."

Now Crash was a little bewildered. Never in his entire journey had anyone apologized for trying to destroy him. Maybe this guy was alright. Yet Crash's good opinion was shaken a little as the little man tossed a bubbling beaker at him. Crash dodged out of the way as the beaker exploded, making a considerable boom. Without time to think, another vial flew at him, and this time Crash felt it clip his ear as it sailed past. Brio was fast for a little guy.

"Please believe that none of this was my intention." Brio confided as he continued to whirl concoctions in Crash's direction.

Crash dipped out of the way, using his momentum to spin out of the path of another. "Think nothing of it; I'm pretty much used to this kind of thing."

Brio began tossing the vials in twos, and Crash needed to move in dozens of directions to avoid them. He dropped as a few sailed over his head, and then was caught like a deer in the headlights as Brio smashed a beaker full of green liquid right at the ground. Instead of an explosion, poisonous fumes billowed into Crash's face, and the latter fell back, rubbing his eyes vigorously.

"Dammit, that hurt!"

"Again I apologize, Crash Bandicoot. Your vision will be impaired only for a moment, but please surrender now before anything else happens."

Tears were pouring out of Crash's eyes and he clenched his jaw at the scraping pain. Regardless of how much he was in trouble, however, Crash had decided that surrendering was not an option. He wasn't about to give these freaky scientists an easy way out. Crash stood up, and dashed his tears away with one hand as his mouth cracked into a smile. The furrow of his brow made the grin look more like a devious smirk, and perhaps it was. Either way, Crash wasn't happy.

"I have a better idea, how about you surrender? That way, I won't have to rough you up."

Crash's vision was a blur, but he could imagine Brio's gaping expression. That tear gas should have left him rolling on the floor in agony. Yet that mental picture lacked dignity, so Crash decided against it. Crash's leg buckled as he took a step forward and he realize he was going to fall into a heap if he continued this way. So he did the only other thing he knew how to do. He started spinning. When he spun, it really didn't matter what he ran into, and somehow he never got dizzy and never got any bruises. Go figure. This was good too because he would eventually run into his enemy, if he was lucky, so all he had to do was spin. Thankfully, Brio hadn't moved, so Crash's job was pretty easy. Crash heard a bang, and so he stopped his attack and blinked away another build-up of tears. He squinted to make out Brio as a mangled mess amid some shattered glass. His vision was repairing quickly, and he was able to see shapes without having to squint. He was about to take off, but as he took a last glance at Brio, he stopped mid-step. The poor guy was just laying there among the wreckage looking quite dejected.

"Hey, do you, uh, need a hand up or something?" Crash wasn't trying to make a joke, he did feel bad for throwing the fellow into the shelves. He hadn't meant to be so intense, especially on such a little guy.

Brio shook his head. "You defeated me f-fairly. The laboratory is through those doors."

Crash took a look and noted the metal door. Then he shrugged absently and threw it open, running at a dead sprint through the same halls he had once vowed never to enter again.


	17. Interlude Four: Tawna

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Interlude – Tawna**

Tawna yanked at the lab assistants, but their grips did not slacken. She was pulled toward the laboratory and instead of the constant fear that clutched her, there was only heated anger. She didn't know where Pinstripe was, but he still hadn't come for her, and so she decided the only one she could count on was herself. The lab doors were thrown open, and Tawna found herself face to face once again with Cortex. She glared at him, so full of fear and anger that she wanted to pull away from her captors and strangle the deranged doctor. Yet that was not an option, at least at the moment. Tawna noticed that a large door was open, and a walkway was situated between a large blimp and the door as a bridge. When Cortex didn't speak, she narrowed her eyes skeptically.

"Where are you planning on taking me?"

Cortex had been focusing on something distant, and her words snapped him out of his trance. He grinned with no humor, only frustrated fury. Yet he masked the emotion well.

"Unfortunately a crisis has arisen that forces me to leave my laboratory. I am taking my machines with me as well as my most successful creations."

Tawna glanced around, but she couldn't see any other creatures like her.

"What other creations?"

Cortex shrugged. "When I say creations I am speaking strictly hypothetically. You see, my other creations are somewhere around the islands, so you are the only one I have access to. And since all my research is being left behind, I need a living subject so I do not forget the procedure of creating evolved anthropoids."

Tawna felt a chill dance up her spine. "How will taking me ensure you will remember?"

Cortex glanced at her with mock surprise. "Why, dissection of course. I don't need you for anything else."

Tawna bit back a gasp of horror, and stared at Cortex with wide and hateful eyes. Cortex signaled the lab assistants, and Tawna started shouting as she swung around, desperate to get away. No one was out there to save her, so she had to do it on her own. She whirled and every time she could attack she did. Yet the assistants didn't even seem to notice, and the hope drained from Tawna as she was carted, shrieking madly, into the blimp.


	18. Chapter 13: The Lab

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Thirteen – The Lab**

Crash felt grating shivers rake up his spine as he entered the next set of doors. Unlike the castle decorum of the outer halls, Cortex's lab was cold and sterile. Creepy looking machines were everywhere, and Crash decided he didn't want to get too close to them. He reasoned that the most logical idea would be to start off in the main lab and then find his way back to the prison area. That is, if he could find his way into the main lab. He was thankful that each time he approached a door it opened obediently, and so he would be able to stroll if he wanted. Except, he knew he needed to find Tawna as quickly as possible, so strolling wasn't a consideration at the moment. Crash jogged through the creepy halls, feeling a strange fear as he wandered father and farther into the depths of the horrible insane asylum-like atmosphere. He had no idea where he was going, or where he was for that matter.

Suddenly Crash whirled the corner and walked smack dab into a lab assistant. That freaky human looked at him with those emotionless eyes behind thick glasses, and Crash reacted instinctively. After he left the assistant on the ground, rubbing a sore fist, he picked up his pace. He needed to find Tawna fast.

--

Brio rubbed his arms, feeling quite sore after his confrontation with Crash Bandicoot. Despite what Dr. Cortex said, Crash was a formidable opponent. Clearing his head with a quick shake, he realized that he would need to be quick to beat Crash to the dirigible. He activated his communicator, and waited for the signal to reach Dr. Cortex.

--

Cortex growled at the assistants angrily. "Be careful with those machines, they're expensive equipment!"

One of the assistants dropped a side of the Cortex Vortex, and the creator of the machine was nearly in a fit. The only thing that stopped him from letting his fury loose on the assistants was a high trilling noise. He lifted his communication device and thumbed the switch. It was Brio, and Cortex found himself annoyed as he was every time Brio contacted him. However, this was different. The bandicoot was on the loose.

"Brio. You had better have good news for me."

There was a pause of hesitation on the other end. Cortex concentrated on his breathing to refrain from exploding.

"Brio…is the bandicoot dead or not?"

"Unfortunately, n-n-no Doctor. He was far too strong for m-m-me to defeat."

Cortex massaged a temple with two fingers. He was so angry and so disgusted by Brio's obvious lack of commitment. Cortex had always believed him worthless, despite the fact that he designed the most constructive invention. Cortex had never believed Brio to be equal with him, and perhaps it was time for the incompetent fool to know it as well.

"You are as stupid as you are useless Brio, how dare you fail me?"

The other line was silent for a moment.

"…It w-w-was not my intention-"

"I should hope it was not your intention you incompetent fool. I have thought it over and I have decided that in my plan for domination, you will only be a liability."

When Brio spoke again it was a tone of shock. "But, Doctor, I h-h-have contributed as much to this plan as you have. W-w-we do not need the bandicoot. W-w-we can reveal our inventions to the world w-w-without him."

Cortex felt a sensation of amusement bloat his chest as he thundered in laughter. Brio truly was an idiot.

"You honestly continue to believe that I care about succession and glory in the field of science? I desire glory, but of an entirely different sort. I am taking over the world Brio; you have heard me speak of it. I will use these creatures to my end, no matter the cost. And in my design of the future, you are not involved. For that, I apologize."

The line was silent again, and Cortex imagined with pleasure the gaping look of disbelief on his former colleague's face.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have some things to get ready before I lift off. Goodbye Brio."

--

The connection went dead.

Brio stared at the communicator in his hands, blinking inconsistently as the realization sunk in. After years of partnership, Cortex severed the line as though it was nothing. Brio felt empty. He had not only respected and admired Cortex, he had aspired to be just like him. He wanted to think up the great plans and have the courage to make his plans a reality. Yet he didn't have the nerve to. For a moment, Brio simply stared blankly into the dark sky, hands clasped in front of him.

Suddenly, Brio felt an odd sensation boil within him, one that twisted his insides and touched his temples with pins of fire. Subconsciously, he noticed that his fists were clenched. Now, he realized what this feeling was. Anger, no, more than that. Fury, and a need for revenge. Brio's brow furrowed in a scowl. Years of bottled anger was working its way through his meek demeanor. Cortex would not get away with stealing his creations. That research belonged to Brio and no one else. Brio started walking briskly, fists still balled at his sides. He would stop Cortex at all costs, even if that meant allying himself with his sworn enemy.

--

When Crash was frustrated, he enjoyed breaking things. It didn't matter what really, as long as chaos was the outcome. He had tossed away his first vow of not touching the machines, and now tipped over every one he could find. The crashing noise was very satisfying. The urgent feeling was becoming quite annoying, but Crash knew he needed to get to the cell bay quickly. Yet quickly still seemed too slow as he tore through the halls, peeking through each door and each room.

"This is getting dumb. How many halls does a lab need?"

Crash was about to knock over a splendid looking contraption to vent his anger, when he spied a door that did not resemble the others. In fact, it looked rather familiar. Fuelled by a new motivation, Crash shouldered open the door, and found himself in a dank and smelly hallway. Crash grinned.

_Bingo_.

Crash jogged to the inner door, and prepared to fly through it into the prison cells like a knight in shining armor, but unfortunately the door was locked. Crash scratched his chin, too perplexed to be frustrated. How was he going to get this door open? Suddenly, he realized he was not alone. Crash didn't move, eyes fixed on the old-fashioned lock.

"Hey, can you give me a hand with this?"

He could hear the lab assistant clomp closer. Crash still didn't turn around.

"I'm looking for a key that fits this. Got one?"

The assistant didn't answer, but he had brought something out of his coat pocket. Crash grinned passively, and somehow the next instant a shoe was flying though the air, and a moment later the assistant was flat on his back. Crash finally turned around, took a step forward and replaced his shoe. Then he noted with dissatisfaction that the assistant had some kind of weird gun in his slackened grip. Crash tsked.

"Dirty pool fella."

It only took a second for Crash to rummage through the freaky guy's pockets, and the key was discovered. He placed the crooked key in the lock and turned it. Turning the rusty thing was a lot harder then it sounded. Finally, after a few tries, Crash got the door open. He lunged inside, excited now that he found the right place. It was kind of strange and yet funny as well how happy he was to see those stupid bars. He needed to get right up to the right cage, considering the sky outside was dark and electricity was pretty much scarce in this wing of the lab.

"Tawna?"

Crash leaned against the cage that had been hers, but it was empty. He narrowed his eyes.

"Tawna?"

After a quick check, he confirmed that she wasn't in any of the cages. She was gone. Crash scratched his head and exhaled slowly. Had she been taken to the lab? Well, if she had he would have to start looking around again. Even though he had been taken up there on a few occasions, he would never remember the way through all those identical halls. He furrowed his brow in irritation.

"Dammit."

His voice was low, and although his heart skipped a beat at the thought of what might have happened, his mind was in motion again, planning his next move.

"She is a-a-alive, Crash Bandicoot."

Crash spun around, and he could have kicked himself for not being aware of sneaky jerks in lab coats. Brio stood framed in the doorway. His hands were behind his back, and from the lack of light Crash couldn't distinguish whether he had a weapon or not.

"Cortex has t-t-taken her. He is escaping in his d-d-dirigible. If you want t-t-to save h-h-her, you'd better hurry."

Crash didn't even bother asking what a dirigible was, he already assumed. Crash placed his hands on his hips and a small smile was visible on his face, although it was tight and cold.

"Yeah, and what makes you think I'll trust anything you have to say?"

Brio looked genuinely mournful, and repeated the action of tightening and loosening his fists. Crash was still unsure if the jerk was planning to shoot him or not.

"I didn't r-r-realize what Dr. Cortex was p-p-planning. You may accept m-m-my help only if you want it. The dirigible is a-a-anchored to the laboratory."

"This seems a little weird to me Mister, so don't get offended that I don't bow to your will. Why do you wanna help me out?"

"Cortex stole c-c-creations that I invented. All I want in r-r-return for my assistance are my inventions back."

Crash thought about it for a fraction of a second, and then he stepped closer.

"How to I get to the lab?"

Brio stepped out of his way to offer him room. "T-t-take the hall straight ahead and enter t-t-the second door to your l-l-left. Then, you'll be in the main h-h-hallway. Take that until you reach the l-l-large metal double doors. The activation code is 3263827."

Crash was already gone, only able to just make out the number. As lengthy as Brio's directions were, they stretched out painfully from all the stuttering. Crash didn't have time for that, but the entrance code was probably important. Crash dashed down the hall running fast to find the first door. When he saw the doors begin to pop up on the walls of the hallway, he counted them. Without thinking, he turned to the second door on his right. He skidded to a stop, eyebrows raised.

"I think I took a wrong turn."

A hefty generator was whirring loudly, and Crash's eyes wandered toward a big red button. Just above the button was written the word, "OVERRIDE". Crash moseyed over to the control panel, and with a quick movement, pressed the button. Lights started flashing, and the monitor read: "SELECT A SEQUENCE". Below that was a series of useless commands that made Crash regret the waste of time. Yet as he read the last word, his eyes brightened. "SELFDISTRUCTION". Crash grinned slyly as he activated the destruction sequence. Now the lights blinked even more sporadically and a wail of sirens joined it. Crash ran out of the chamber and then bolted through the door he should have taken in the first place. Apparently it didn't take long for the rest of the building to start to explode, because Crash felt the ground beneath him begin to shake. The double doors were in sight, but before Crash could put more speed into his run, he was suddenly blown off his feet. He landed hard on his stomach, and skidded a while before slowly coming to a stop. He took a quick glance behind him, and his jaw dropped.

"Oh, that's not good."

Eerie fingers of fire were reaching out toward him, and billows of smoke started to fill the hall. Crash scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could until he plowed into the door. The damn thing wouldn't open, and just as that thought entered Crash's mind, Brio's access code statement hit him. Crash stared at the pin pad, unable to remember any numbers Brio had rattled off. Why didn't he write them down or something? He started clicking his teeth in irritation as he realized he had no paper, so that hadn't been an option at the time. Crash tried to calm his racing mind to remember the code, but a massive fire melting metal behind someone was not an easy thing to forget about. Convinced he would never remember, Crash just started pressing numbers randomly. He could feel the heat on his fur, but he forbad himself to turn around. He just kept pressing button after button, until after a while he resorted to simply smashing his fist on the panel.

"Open damn you!" Crash yelled at the door as he gave it a swift kick.

The only success Crash achieved with that attack was a sore foot. He looked around franticly for something else that could open the door, but nothing presented itself. Crash closed his eyes as a heat wave blew over him.

"This…sucks." Crash wheezed as he continued pounding on the key pad.

Crash was unable to accept the fact that he was going to be burned alive, even through the event seemed unavoidable. He supposed that's what he got for being clever. Crash leaned against the doors, and glared at the flames with a menacing look. Then, he crossed his arms and a smug smile crossed his face.

"Alright fire, do your worst."

Fortunately for Crash, just as the fire came so close he could feel his orange fur singe, he fell backward. He was staring up into the baffled face of a lab assistant. The considerate guy opened the door for him, what a lucky break. Crash leapt to his feet and took the lab assistant by the shoulders.

"Bless you sir, your deed is met with gratitude."

Then Crash starting sprinting in the direction he needed to go. A wide window was open, and although the blimp had already taken off, it was trailing a pleasant little tail of access rope. Crash turned back toward the stunned assistant as he made for the window.

"My condolences for the laboratory mate, it was very…well, it was a lab alright."

Those where the only words Crash had time to say before he jumped out the window, and once again found himself flying through the open sky.


	19. Chapter 14: Final Confrontation

Crash Bandicoot 1:

**Chapter Fourteen – Final Confrontation**

Brio had predicted that bandicoot would do something drastic. He was right. Unfortunately, he was unable to gather any of his research still in the lab. Now the lab was on fire, so his research was as good as ashes. Nevertheless, he was grateful he made it out in one piece. Now all he needed to do was wait for the bandicoot to keep his end of the bargain.

--

Cortex had felt entirely relieved when his dirigible finally lifted off. He would be able to get away from these dreadful islands and go on to making his dream a reality. He absently directed a lab assistant to let the blimp hover a moment as he took one last look at the castle that had served him so well. As he peeked out the window, his jaw visibly dropped. His laboratory was up in flames! Cortex furrowed his brow so hard he felt as though his eyebrows would fold over his eyes.

"You are not going to get away with this, you bastard." A woman's voice hissed.

Cortex clenched his jaw, and turned back toward his captive. She was only bound with a rope around her wrists, but Cortex didn't anticipate any attack from her. Even if she did decide to get brave, his disintegration gun was already in his hand.

"Oh, I've already gotten away with it my dear. There's no need to worry though, your stay will be short lived I assure you."

The bandicoot woman glared acidly at him, but there was a trace of fear behind her hostile eyes. Cortex grinned, and was about to set the dirigible on its programmed course. Yet, distantly, Cortex could hear something. A voice calling out; muffled by wind. Cortex activated his scanners and noticed there was an intruder standing on the top of his blimp. Cortex hissed a curse. It couldn't be. It just COULDN'T BE! Cortex had enough of this nonsense. If the entity balancing above his transport was the being he guessed it was, Cortex decided he needed to do something to rid himself of the infestation. He powered up a small, maneuverable hovercraft, and opened a door below. The female's eyes were wide as she fixed him with a confused gaze. Cortex's eyes were angry as he glared at her.

"Stay exactly where you are. You move from that spot and you'll rue the day you were created."

Then Cortex disappeared, a promise of execution and retribution fueling his fury.

--

Tawna watched as Cortex departed, and felt her chest tighten as the doors slowly retracted. Although her wrists were bound, she was thankful they were tied in front of her. It made her feel less vulnerable, but only just. There was a lab assistant still standing motionless at the controls, and Tawna felt her blood chill as his empty gaze remained fixed on her. She found herself wondering what could have enticed Cortex to get on his little bike and zoom off. Taking a couple steps back, Tawna was about to return to her former place on the deck, when she heard something. It sounded like the rushing of wind, but Tawna discovered with an escalated heartbeat that she could make it out a name.

"Tawna!"

Tawna dashed to the monitor, shoving the lab assistant out of the way. When she saw the figure standing in the view of one of the monitors, she smiled so wide she thought her face would split. It was as through she had been standing in the cold for a long time, and suddenly the sun came out and basked her in warm light. The figure standing precariously on the top of the blimp, was Crash Bandicoot. He seemed to be looking for something, probably to get him down from his present position. Tawna was so relieved that he was alive that she had forgotten one very important detail. Cortex.

"Crash! Look out!" Tawna screamed at the monitor, knowing well that he wouldn't be able to hear.

Cortex leveled his gun at Crash's back, and an instant later the monitor exploded into static. Tawna gasped. Had Crash dodged? She didn't know. Suddenly she felt a grip on her arm. The lab assistant had recovered and had her clutched in an iron hold. Tawna's features contorted in anger. If Crash had come all this way to find her, she had to do whatever she could to help him. Even if she had to fight a few of her captors in the process.

--

Crash decided that climbing all the way to the top of the blimp was not the best idea. He had planned on finding a porthole or sunroof, and slipping through to give the element of surprise. Thing was, there was no sunroof. He was standing atop a massive balloon! Well, that didn't deter him; he would have to find the strap he had climbed up with, and simply slide down to the control room at the base. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, and Crash found himself gazing at it momentarily. It looked very pretty, but Crash suspected he would focus on anything that took his mind of his high altitude and the strong wind that threatened to knock him right into the sea.

Without even a hint of warning, a ball of bright energy shaved past his face from behind. It collided into some kind of machine and exploded, but Crash had already twirled around to face what had almost hit him. When he saw who it was, he grinned wickedly.

"Well, well, long time no see stranger!" Crash had to yell over the wind so he would be heard, but although Cortex looked rather smug, he didn't smile.

"You have been a pain in my side ever since you were created! Now it's time to rectify that failure!"

Crash had a couple more things he wanted to say, like how dumb Cortex looked on that little speeder bike, but he didn't get the chance. A few more bolts of energy blasted toward him, and Crash needed to leap out of the way to avoid them. Unfortunately, a gust of wind caught him and sent him sprawling across the surface of the blimp. Crash realized with annoyance that he would have almost no room to battle this guy. There were slopes on every side, and the wind was getting stronger. To top it all off, the blimp was still moving, circling around the castle alight with flames. Cortex shot another bolt in Crash's direction, and the latter slid underneath, creating more ground for himself. He got to his feet, hands twitching at his sides. Cortex's red eyes were bright with what looked like rage.

"You destroyed my fortress! How dare you devastate years of research!" Cortex fired another energy ball.

Crash dodged. "Don't be sore about it old fella, I just thought it was up for some redecorating."

"Prepare yourself for death Crash Bandicoot!" Cortex bellowed.

"Don't worry about me mister, I was prepared since day one. But I really gotta say that you should be wearing a helmet. Especially on a bike like that." Crash smirked as Cortex's eyes widened at his continued statements. "Or could you not find a helmet to squeeze over that massive head of yours?"

This made Cortex very angry, and in rapid succession eight bolts were shooting through the air. Crash's good spirits dropped.

"Oh, that's not good."

Crash knew he could not avoid them all, so he chose the least lethal way through them. One collided with his arm, and he felt a blazing pain as the energy blasted through his entire body like an electric shock. He dropped to one knee, holding the arm that was shaking with anguish. Crash looked up at Cortex again, and the jerk had a triumphant look on his face. He shot another couple bolts, and Crash rolled to escape the attack. His arm screamed in protest and he winced as his slowness cost him another hit. This time, the energy caught his leg, and the same sensation clawed its way through him. Crash didn't realize that he was muttering a steady stream of profanities. Now he was laying there in a crumpled heap, his two wounds convulsing as he waited for the feeling to pass. Cortex still had the gun aimed in Crash's direction, and the former's eyes were alight with malice.

"I had set the frequency to stun only, my dear bandicoot. Yet now that you are immobile I will give you a taste of what it is truly capable of."

Crash gave him a skeptical look as he struggled to get into a better sitting position. It was a useless endeavor.

"You could have just shot me without all the stunning hooey, and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Cortex's smile disappeared, and then reappeared with ten times the original spite.

"This gun has the power of disintegration. Once it hits its target, it will continue to attack until the enemy is mere atoms."

Crash didn't like the sound of that, and as Cortex pointed the gun right at him, he could not really find any plausible way out of the sticky situation.

--

Tawna smashed her elbow into the face of the lab assistant, and felt more confidence enter her as the assistant released her and staggered back. Yet he recovered quickly and came at her again. Tawna moved out of the way, and closed her hands around each other threw a two handed punch. Her fists collided with the lab assistant's head, and the latter propelled hard into the wall. When Tawna was sure he was unconscious, she looked around for something that could cut through the ropes on her wrists. It was pretty easy to find something sharp enough to cut through mere rope, considering all the dissection blades Cortex had scattered about.

When her hands were free, Tawna rushed to the blimp's control panel. She had no idea what she planned to do, since she couldn't very well land the thing. It was circling around the castle, and Tawna smiled as she imagined how much fun Crash had destroying Cortex's stronghold. Then she felt a wave of panic. She still didn't know if Crash was alive or not. She rushed to the window, and franticly opened it before sticking her head out. She could only just make out Cortex on his bike, hovering around like an idiot. Yet he was still shooting something unseen on the top of the blimp, and so Tawna knew Crash was alright. At least at the moment. She needed to do something to help him. She decided that if she piloted the blimp in a roundabout way, Cortex would have a harder time. So she picked a control and pushed it forward. The blimp started to pick up speed, and Tawna realized with a shock that she didn't know how to steer it. She touched another control, and the blimp lowered so quickly she felt butterflies in her stomach. She terminated that control, and suddenly realized that there was a lever for left, and another for right. With no idea why she was doing it, Tawna yanked each control back and forth until she felt the blimp spin. When it did, she turned it the other way so the spin reversed. She was getting the hang of it now, and as she whirled the blimp around in circles she sent a prayer to Crash, begging him to return to her safely.

--

Crash was sure he was a goner as Cortex gave him an exceptionally evil smile and uttered, "Goodbye Crash Bandicoot."

Yet suddenly the blimp started to move. It was going pretty fast for a balloon, and Crash was relieved when the energy ball flew past him, way off target. Crash heard a loud shout of anger, obviously from Cortex, and the latter increased the speed of his tiny bike. Thankfully, Crash had recovered enough to get to his feet, and although the blimp's course was jerky and impossible to predict, Crash was able to keep his footing. A lab assistant most defiantly could not be responsible for this. Crash found himself grinning.

_Good on yah Tawna. _

Cortex sped toward Crash's left side, and aimed his gun again. Yet this time Crash was ready for him. Cortex was not taking any chances this time. And the scene seemed to progress in slow motion, at least from Crash's standpoint. Cortex brought his gun to bare, and Crash was momentarily startled by the wickedness of his features. Cortex pulled the trigger from five feet away, and Crash waited until the last possible second before dodging out of the way, feeling the energy scorch the skin on his face. Cortex sailed by, and Crash reached his hand out to grasp the gun that had appeared right in front of him.

"Yoink!"

Apparently, Cortex had not expected this, and as he lost the weapon, his eyes widened in shock. Crash fiddled with the gun in his grasp, and as Cortex slowed his hover to a mere crawl, Crash smiled and aimed the weapon. Cortex's face was priceless as Crash closed one eye and smiled brightly.

"Thanks for the rout doc, it was a blast."

Then Crash pulled the trigger, and a ball of flaming energy collided with the speeder bike. The bike exploded, and Cortex disappeared, plummeting though the new morning sky.

--

Tawna heard an explosion, and quickly leapt to the window just in time to see Cortex falling through the air. He disappeared through the thick fog, screaming something that sounded like:

"You haven't seen the last of me Crash Bandicoot!"

Tawna pressed her hands to her chest as she breathed deeply in relief. Then she sprinted toward the cabin door, lifted the metal handle and pushed the heavy metal open. The instant wind swirled her blond hair around her face, and she looked around franticly for anything that could get her to the top of that blimp. She saw with glee that a leather tail was dangling quite close, and where she would have hesitated before, she simply leapt through the air, arms outstretched. Latching her arms around the strap, she began to climb, a beaming smile on her face the entire time.

--

Crash exhaled sharply, still unsure if the battle was actually over. Cortex did strike him as a cockroach, and Crash had been unsure if he could ever be squashed. In fact, he was still unconvinced. Nevertheless, Crash tossed the gun over the side of the blimp, feeling quite revolted by it. He watched the silly little weapon disappear when he heard an excited sing-song voice.

"Crash!"

Crash turned around, and he smiled.

"Hey sweetheart, how've you been?"

Tawna looked ecstatic, standing on the far side of the blimp with her light wavy hair blowing in the wind. She ran toward him, and Crash was instantly afraid she was going to flip over the side. She didn't, gliding with a grace Crash truly had to admire. She embraced him; hugging so tight Crash could barely breathe. He returned the embrace, feeling oddly uncomfortable.

"Oh Crash, I missed you so much, I'm so glad you're safe."

"Yeah…err…ditto."

They remained intertwined for a moment longer, just as the sun shone the first rays of morning light over the ocean. Suddenly, the blimp turned sharply and started acceleration toward the sunrise. Tawna and Crash broke apart, and Tawna looked shocked.

"Oops, I forgot I didn't set the frequency back to hover."

Crash waved his hand dismissively. "No worries. Say, that was some good flying you did back there."

Tawna blushed. "Oh, thanks." Then she looked him over and grinned softly. "Your fur is all ashy. What happened?"

Crash shrugged, and giggled at how utterly ragged he probably looked at this moment.

"Oh, you know, the usual thing. Lab fires, crazy cannibals, bridges collapsing…just what you'd expect in a day as Crash Bandicoot."

Tawna laughed softly, and then nervously fiddled with her hair.

"How are we going to get back to the island?"

Crash sat down, and Tawna joined him. He stretched his arms above his head and released a massive and well deserved yawn.

"Don't worry about it. I don't think Brio'd mind if we take a quick ride."

Tawna leaned on Crash's shoulder, and closed her eyes. Crash placed a tentative arm around her as the blimp sailed through the air toward the rising sun.


End file.
